Hello and welcome to Living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

When it comes to following an exercise routine, health care professionals and fitness experts stress the importance of working the core muscles This is especially important for folks as they get older.

60 and up, our own Grover Silcox has explored the core reasons for working the core muscles particular early for seniors.

Grover, as always, it's great to see you.

Good to be here, Brittany.

So it seems like the core is where you start when you want to get in shape.

And it's the center of everything, essentially.

Yeah, that's what the experts say.

The folks that I consulted, you know, the core muscles, which includes the abdomen, the pelvis, the buttocks, the lower back those muscles, when you strengthen them, keep them in shape, help with a myriad of everyday activities, lifting, bending balance.

Very important.

Sure.

This seems like this is the way to stay active and independent as we age.

That's precisely what it does.

And the good news is that working the core is fairly simple, even for we older folks.

There are a variety of easy to do exercises that help improve your core muscle groups.

Most of them can be done on your own without any equipment.

You can do these exercises at home or at a fitness center, even at a desk or table.

You can and should do them every day.

The more you keep those core muscles strengthened, the more they'll help support all the activities you need to live a happy, healthy and independent lifestyle.

Even in retirement.

I checked in at St Louis University Health Network's Fitness and Sports Performance Center to get more on the core On this day, we talked core workouts with two seasoned fitness instructors Jon Graham and Mike staggered at St Luke's Fitness and Sports Performance Center in Allentown.

The core muscles are the muscles of the abdominal lower back, hip and buttocks area.

The core muscle groups play a significant role in keeping a person active, especially as they advance in age.

The importance of the core muscles are really to make sure that the spine stays stabilized.

Prevent the spine from injury.

But there are other major functions connecting upper and lower extremities together so that the upper lower extremity can work in collaboration.

When it comes to daily movements, activities, sports movements and fitness activities can The most critical things that they do as we continue to go through the aging process really help with postural maintenance as well as balance and prevention of fall.

John and Mike describe and demonstrate some simple core exercises.

And we put the exercises in three basic classifications beginner, intermediate and advanced exercises for the abdominal area, the lower back area, as well as the pelvic area.

When it comes to these muscle groups.

Mike starts with a beginner level exercise.

First exercise we're going to do is a core exercise, first dominant muscles.

Mike is going to press up on his elbows and his toes into a front plank position, pulling in on his abdominals, keeping his back flat, his butt down, eyes looking slightly in front of his hands, Beginner levels will hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.

As Mike presses up on his toes, he's also pressing up on his elbows so that he can maintain a strong, stable core.

Well, I feel my stomach is working hard, keeping my abs tight.

And I know that this exercise is definitely going to help with my back.

Next up, an intermediate level exercise called a front plank with shoulder taps to strengthen abdominal back and shoulder muscles.

Mike is going to go into a pushup position, pushing up on his toes and with his arms straight, pulling in on his abdominal muscles, keeping his back nice and flat.

And from this position, he will tap each shoulder with the opposite hand to tap his right shoulder with his left hand and his left shoulder with his right hand.

And perform this movement for 30 to 45 seconds.

The benefit of touching the shoulders on the opposite side is it's really forcing him to stabilize and balance more.

This is more challenging than the first one.

If you have problems with your wrist, you might need to do a little bit something different if you have arthritis because you are pushing down into the floor.

John and Mike now demonstrate an advanced level front plank.

We're going to ask my to lift his right arm with his left leg off the ground, stabilizing with his core and abdominal area.

And now we'll ask him where the opposite way lift his left arm with his right leg, stabilizing with his core and abdominal area.

You can either do three, three sets of 15 repetitions or do three rounds of holding it for 30 to 45 seconds, whichever you prefer.

This is an exceptional exercise for increasing balance and posture.

Next, Mike and John show a beginner level exercise to strengthen lower back and hip muscles.

The idea behind this exercise is to tighten the core as you lift your hips up off the ground by strengthening and pushing through your lower back and hip areas.

Right now, I feel it in my glutes and I can feel the abdominal area contracting.

I know it's going to help benefit my low back.

I do have some issues in that area and it's simple and easy to do.

Now, here's an intermediate level exercise for the lower back and hips, which mirrors the movement of a bird dog.

The bird dog involves lifting the opposite arm with the leg off the ground, bringing them even with shoulder height and hip height and stabilizing with the lower back muscles in the core area as well as the hips should be performed for 30 to 45 seconds or 15 to 20 repetitions.

So as I extend my leg out, I can feel the hamstrings, the back of my thighs contracting and doing some of the work alongside of my lower back Finally.

Here's an advanced level exercise for the lower back and hips, which just might make you feel like the legendary man of steel.

Mike is doing what is commonly referred to as a Superman exercise.

He's lifting his arms and legs as far off of the ground as possible, keeping only his abdominal area in contact with the ground.

The benefit of this exercise is to strengthen the lower back hips, glutes and thighs.

And the key thing with this is to hold it for 30 to 45 seconds to.

See if getting to the floor is a challenge or escaping the office is impossible.

John has another exercise for you.

For beginner level exercises, you may have difficulty getting to the floor.

Here's an excellent way to work your muscles while sitting in a chair by sitting forward slightly in the chair.

Cross your arms across your upper extremity and you're just going to lean back slightly, squeezing it on those abdominal muscles and pulling those down muscles tight.

And then come back forward.

Bring your shoulders directly above the hips.

Repeat this movement for ten to 20 repetitions.

Our fitness instructors, John and Mike, recommend that folks work the core with exercises like these at least three times a week.

They advise anyone starting out to get the go ahead from their family, physician or health care provider before beginning a new exercise, plan or regimen especially for folks over 65.

Regular exercise, which includes working the core muscle groups, might not enable you to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they can give you the power to live an active lifestyle well into your senior year.

The job they make, the workout that.

As John mentioned in our report.

Core strength is key to remaining active, whether it's playing sports, walking, swimming, or simply reaching up on a shelf or bending down to clean up a spill.

They all require core strength.

Grover These are all great points for everyone, but especially people who are 65 and older.

Exact elite, because at that age we may be vulnerable to losing our balance and working those core muscles and keeping them in shape will help prevent falling.

And as the Harvard Health Publishing says that falling is one of the main reasons for injuries among seniors.

OK, so we want to make sure we're strengthening that core.

And your report is showing that there are some simple ways that people can strengthen their core, doesn't have to be hard to do.

Right.

And as always, when starting a new exercise regimen or new exercises, always consult with your physician.

Absolutely.

Never a bad idea.

Yes.

That's good advice for everyone at any age.

Right.

Grover Silcox, as always, thank you so much for joining you.

And that'll do it for this edition of Living in the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney.

Hoping you stay happy and healthy.