All posts tagged: core

Five moves that are better at building functional core strength at home than crunches

Five moves that are better at building functional core strength at home than crunches

Published by Jenni Sidey

Because of Hollywood’s obsession with the six-pack, many people think crunches and sit-ups are the best way to train the muscles in your midsection. And while those exercises are an excellent way to strengthen your rectus abdominis, the muscle that runs down the front of your torso, there are a number of other muscles that make up your core and that are essential for helping you move through life with confidence. You need more than crunches to keep your core in good working order, but the good news is that the exercises you do need are easy to do at home, like these five exercises recommended by Lauren King, Pilates instructor and coach at STRONG Pilates Commack. Latest Videos From “This type of training helps the body maintain stability under load, building a strong and functional core that supports long-term health, improves movement efficiency and enhances overall performance.” The final exercise requires dumbbells, but if you don’t own dumbbells or another type of free weight, load up tote bags with books, or use heavy bags …

A barre instructor says this is the one move beginners should start with to improve hip mobility, lower-body strength and core stability

A barre instructor says this is the one move beginners should start with to improve hip mobility, lower-body strength and core stability

Published by Jenni Sidey

If one of your fitness goals is to move with more confidence and control, then you should try a type of exercise called barre. Barre is a low-impact workout that is designed to develop muscular endurance, and improve mobility and balance. “There are so many positives to barre: mobility, proprioception and balance,” says barre instructor Tara Riley. “There’s not really any other exercise that asks that much of you in all of these aspects.” Latest Videos From And there’s one beginner-friendly barre exercise that Riley says encapsulates these benefits—the second position plié. “This is my number one barre move for someone who’s never tried [barre] before because mastering that hip mobility is so important,” Riley says. “Unless you’ve done ballet or gymnastics or something like that as a child, a lot of people have never really moved their hips in this way.” You may like The uniqueness of the movement will help you develop hip mobility and build strength in the legs and core. Here’s how to do it. Start your week with achievable workout …

In 2010, Earth’s molten core suddenly reversed direction and scientists don’t know why

In 2010, Earth’s molten core suddenly reversed direction and scientists don’t know why

Published by Jenni Sidey

A river of molten iron, more than 2,000 kilometers below the surface, appears to have pulled off something Earth scientists did not expect. Around 2010, a broad patch of fluid in the outer core beneath the equatorial Pacific stopped drifting west and began moving sharply east. This reversed a pattern long treated as one of the deep planet’s more stable habits. That change did not happen where people can see it, or feel it, and it poses no direct danger. However, it matters because the churning outer core generates Earth’s magnetic field. The field is the shield that helps protect the atmosphere and modern technology from charged particles streaming from the Sun. The new analysis, published in the Journal of Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, draws on ground observatories and satellite measurements from 1997 to 2025. The team combined data from the Ørsted, CHAMP, CryoSat-2 and Swarm missions to reconstruct how flow at the top of the core evolved through the years. This includes the period around the reversal. “The large-scale flow reversal beneath the …

Strengthen every part of your core with just six exercises and a workout bench

Strengthen every part of your core with just six exercises and a workout bench

Published by Jenni Sidey

Don’t you sometimes wish things could be easier? While I can’t make life easier, I can introduce midlife weight-loss coach Rachael Sacerdoti, who has a way to make moving through life easier. “A stronger core makes everything else easier. Your posture improves, your lower back feels more supported, and your other exercises, whether that’s squats, deadlifts or simply carrying groceries, feel more stable and controlled,” she says. “Core strength also plays a significant role in injury prevention as we get older,” she adds. “It’s about building a body that functions well and feels good to live in. Latest Videos From You may like “Sometimes a bench and a few controlled movements are more than enough to wake everything up,” says Sacerdoti, who recently shared a six-move bench sequence targets the full abdominal area, including the deep core muscles that support and stabilize your spine. “The bench changes the angle and the range of motion, which means your core has to work harder and more intentionally,” explains Sacerdoti. “I chose these movements because they are accessible, …

If Your Kitchen Is Always Stocked With 11 Core Items, Your Parents Did An Amazing Job Raising You

If Your Kitchen Is Always Stocked With 11 Core Items, Your Parents Did An Amazing Job Raising You

Published by Jenni Sidey

Being a successful adult involves a lot of trial and error, like learning to separate laundry by color so your whites don’t turn into darks. Living on your own is a humbling experience, especially once you realize how much your parents did for you. They did the laundry correctly, did the dishes, and made sure you were well fed. And if your parents did an especially good job raising you, you’ll have some particular things in your kitchen as an adult. You probably learned more from your parents than you ever realized, like how to chop an onion without crying and how to make perfect scrambled eggs. They taught you that taking care of yourself is about more than eating three meals a day. True nourishment comes from comfort and warmth. It comes from dinner parties, dessert, and listening to your friends laugh. If you have these things in your kitchen as an adult, you have learned what home really means. If your kitchen is always stocked with these 11 core items, your parents did …

Japan’s core inflation hits 4-year low, rebound eyed on energy shock

Japan’s core inflation hits 4-year low, rebound eyed on energy shock

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, May 22 : Japan’s annual core inflation slowed to a four-year low in April due to the effect of subsidies on fuel and education, data showed on Friday, though analysts expect surging fuel costs from the Middle East war to accelerate price growth in coming months. While government measures are offsetting some of the price pressure from the energy shock, Bank of Japan policymakers are dropping hawkish comments signalling the chance of an interest rate hike in June as they focus on broadening inflation risks. Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), which strips away the effect of volatile fresh food costs, rose 1.4 per cent in April from a year earlier, much slower than a 1.8 per cent rise in March and falling short of the median market forecast for a 1.7 per cent gain. The increase was the slowest since March 2022, with a 10.6 per cent drop in education fees weighing on service-sector inflation and offsetting steady increases in a range of other items including food, the data showed. A separate index …

The House Article | EU Reset: We Still Cannot Escape Brexit’s Core Trade-Off

The House Article | EU Reset: We Still Cannot Escape Brexit’s Core Trade-Off

Published by Sam Flores

(Illustronaut/Alamy) 5 min read3 hr A decade on from the Brexit vote, the UK and EU are still confronted with the same fundamental trade-off between market access and autonomy, write Sam Lowe and Kathryn Watson One of the challenges of writing about Brexit’s lingering impact on the UK economy is that, outside of a Marvel movie, it is still not possible to experience a reality that never came to pass. Every assessment therefore involves comparing the UK’s economy as it exists today with one that might have existed had the UK remained a member of the EU. This is both standard economic modelling practice, and a source of frustration for those who argue that the economic impact of Brexit has been overstated. After all, how can anyone know with certainty what would have happened if the vote had gone the other way? What should be less controversial, however, is that putting new trade barriers between yourself and your largest trading partner comes with economic costs, even if we can debate their scale and …

A midlife fitness expert recommends this 10-minute routine for women in their 60s who want to improve their core strength, posture and mobility

A midlife fitness expert recommends this 10-minute routine for women in their 60s who want to improve their core strength, posture and mobility

Published by Jenni Sidey

As you get older, you may well find stiffness creeping into parts of your body. Stretching can help, but strength work is also necessary if you want to get back to moving with ease. To help you get started, I turned to Heike Yates, a certified Pilates coach, personal trainer and midlife fitness expert, who specializes in helping women in their 50s, 60s and beyond build strength, stability and confidence in their body. With more than 40 years of experience, she uses realistic, joint-friendly movement to support people in everyday life. Latest Videos From You may like Her 10-minute routine below works on your core strength, posture and overall mobility. “This routine focuses on gentle core activation, back support, and functional strength to reduce stiffness and support everyday movement,” Yates explains. “This workout is ideal for women who feel weaker, stiff, or unsure where to start, and can be done three to four times per week to build consistency without strain.” Each move comes with a modification, making it totally beginner-friendly. Start your week with …

James Webb Spots Strange Structure at Core of Distant Galaxy

James Webb Spots Strange Structure at Core of Distant Galaxy

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech A stunning new image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope shows a nearby galaxy bursting with light at its center, revealing the distinct but optically invisible structure that underpins the sprawling realm. Known as Messier 77, or the Squid Galaxy, it’s located in the constellation Cetus some 45 million light-years from Earth. Like our own Milky Way, it takes the form of a barred spiral galaxy, but its center is far more luminous. That’s because it’s dominated by an active galactic nucleus, a term that describes a supermassive black hole in the midst of a voracious feeding frenzy. At eight million times the mass of the Sun, the black hole is pulling matter towards itself, which begins to swirl around it like water circling a drain, and heating up in the process. That heat is so intense, and the amount of matter captured so enormous, that the light the black hole’s so-called accretion disk produces outshines the …