10-Minute Core Balance

This video is part of the 30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge designed to help you improve strength, cardio, balance and flexibility. Start the challenge here: aarp.org/CouchToFit

In this 10-minute core balance workout, fitness expert Denise Austin will help you improve your posture and balance, lowering the risk of backaches.

Key takeaways

• Boost core strength and stability with Denise Austin’s 10-minute balance workout using simple props.
• Improve posture and lower back injury risk by integrating mindful core movements into your week.
• Enhance overall wellness and confidence by joining Denise at AARP’s 30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge.

Summary

Boost your stability and protect your spine with this 10-minute core balance workout led by legendary fitness expert Denise Austin. Core balance exercises are crucial for strengthening your abs, improving posture, and lowering the risk of backaches and injuries. Denise uses simple at-home props like a chair and light weights — think 2-pound dumbbells or even soup cans — to guide you through a variety of moves that activate your torso, support your back, and engage your core muscles for all-around balance and resilience.

This routine is designed to help you feel confident and strong by focusing on mindful movements that build core strength, enhance balance and promote flexibility. Incorporating core balance techniques into your weekly schedule, even just twice a week, can make a big difference in your overall wellness and everyday confidence. Take your first step toward better health and discover more ways to stay active with Denise at AARP’s 30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge.

The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Full Transcript:

[0:00:04] Welcome to your core balance 10-minute workout. This will help stabilize those abs to protect

[0:00:10] your spine, to help with backaches and prevent injuries.

[0:00:14] So let’s begin. If you have a chair handy, we will need that

[0:00:18] for extra support and balance, and a pair of light weights.

[0:00:21] I have 2-pound weights, or you can use soup cans, whatever you have at your home.

[0:00:26] So let’s begin with a wonderful warm-up just to loosen up the muscles,

[0:00:30] get the oxygen to flow to every cell of your body.

[0:00:34] Feeling light, working through the torso. Your core muscles keep your center nice and strong,

[0:00:41] helping with good posture too.

[0:00:43] We all need that.

[0:00:44] And lift to the sides, just relax, really feel the flow through the body,

[0:00:50] the oxygen flowing, giving you energy.

[0:00:53] Beautiful. Two more.

[0:00:55] Last one. That’s it.

[0:00:57] Now hold on to your chair right here for balance, and just pick up your knees to support

[0:01:02] your back, keeping your back strong, keeping those core muscles pulled in. That’s it.

[0:01:09] Beautiful, lift up towards you.

[0:01:11] This is a wonderful way to strengthen your core muscles. Also with your hand right here on the

[0:01:17] chair, it helps to stabilize you, so you could put a

[0:01:20] little weight in it if you need to.

[0:01:22] That’s OK. This will get your oxygen flowing to your abs,

[0:01:26] to your belly, so important. We got two more.

[0:01:30] That’s it. Last one, beautiful, and now bring the leg

[0:01:34] forward and swing it back,. Now tighten up through the abs, really control through the

[0:01:40] abdominals. That’s it.

[0:01:43] Your core is strong.

[0:01:45] We’re building strength all through the center and the back.

[0:01:49] That’s it. Yes, you got it.

[0:01:56] Beautiful. We got two more lifts.

[0:01:59] Last one, great, and now out to the side. Stabilize yourself through the core right here,

[0:02:05] zip up those abs, that’s it, feel as though you’re wearing a corset, nice and tight around

[0:02:11] that tummy. Pull it in, engage those ab muscles, and

[0:02:16] make sure the leg that you’re standing on is slightly bent to protect the back.

[0:02:20] That’s it. You’re doing great.

[0:02:22] I’m proud of you. Lift and lower, but make sure you feel the strength through the torso.

[0:02:29] Really keeping good posture plays a key role in doing this effectively and efficiently.

[0:02:35] We got two more. Last one, and turn to the side now, thinking

[0:02:39] about good posture. Zip up the abs. We do a lift and a lower. Just tighten through the

[0:02:45] buttocks too. It’s all through the sides.

[0:02:49] Keeping your back strong. Just little lifts, that’s all it takes.

[0:02:54] Little lifts, your entire core is pulled in.

[0:02:57] You’re squeezing the buttocks to tighten up through that rear end to keep your back healthy.

[0:03:03] You’ve got it, yes, that’s it. But pull it up and in.

[0:03:07] That’s it. It’s all about pulling those lower tummies up and

[0:03:10] in. We got two more.

[0:03:11] Last one, beautiful.

[0:03:14] OK, now it’s time to grab a weight.

[0:03:16] And we’re gonna  bend it forward and pull it back for the waistline.

[0:03:20] This will help trim and slim the waist.

[0:03:23] Great. Pull and reach out. Again, if you don’t have weights,

[0:03:28] you can still do the exercise.

[0:03:31] This just gives it an extra little challenge for yourself and really helps with the

[0:03:35] waistline there.

[0:03:37] That’s it, beautiful torso twist.

[0:03:40] You got it. Keep the tummy tight though.

[0:03:43] Pull the belly button in.

[0:03:45] That’s it, last one. Great. OK, now standing up nice and tall,

[0:03:50] pulling your knees towards your chest, bringing the arm all the way up if you can. Keep your

[0:03:55] elbow bent, and touch and release.

[0:03:59] And touch and release. Now we’re doing what’s called a crunch, but right here without getting

[0:04:05] on the floor, no neck strain. You got this. You’re crunching down and lifting up.

[0:04:12] Beautiful. Crunch. The standing abs. Also, with the use of the chair, you could stabilize yourself.

[0:04:18] Keep yourself in balance.

[0:04:20] This takes beautiful strength through the body.

[0:04:23] That’s it. We’re building strength through all the 640

[0:04:28] muscles of the body right now and concentrating on the abs.

[0:04:32] When you lift the knee, you’re getting the lower tummy to work.

[0:04:35] Yes, we all need that lower abs.

[0:04:38] Last one. OK, now let’s go out to the side. Pull it in and up.

[0:04:44] This is now a side crunch. That’s it. With the use of that chair, you could really bend and

[0:04:50] feel comfortable and stable and balanced.

[0:04:54] You got it. Really feel it.

[0:04:59] That’s it. We got two more of these. Beautiful. Last one,

[0:05:04] great. And now let’s go across. Now we’re working the

[0:05:07] lower part of your abs. Just go across, touch and pull across.

[0:05:12] That’s it. Good. Pull your tummy in, belly button towards

[0:05:16] your spine. Your spine is your lifeline. Keep it healthy.

[0:05:20] Keep it strong. That’s it, good.

[0:05:25] Last one, OK. And let’s turn to the other side. Just bring your chair to the other side

[0:05:31] now, thinking about good posture.

[0:05:34] The first one is just a leg lift. Lift and release, and swing it forward.

[0:05:40] That’s it. Now when you swing it forward, you really have

[0:05:44] to concentrate on keeping those abs engaged. That’s it,

[0:05:48] almost feeling them pulled in.

[0:05:51] That’s great. Creating a nice strong core, and lean forward using your body

[0:05:58] to really feel the stretch through the back as well as the front. That’s it, beautiful.

[0:06:04] You got that. Two more.

[0:06:07] Last one, good. And now slowly turn to the side.

[0:06:11] Let’s lift our leg behind.

[0:06:13] You’re right now thinking about good posture, lifting through the back.

[0:06:17] The core muscles are also on the sides of your waist, as well as your lower back.

[0:06:23] This one exercise gets at both, but you have to make sure you’re kind of pulling the abs up and

[0:06:29] in, controlling it through the abdominals.

[0:06:32] Always notice my knee is slightly bent to protect the spine.

[0:06:36] Last one, beautiful.

[0:06:40] OK, now it’s time to get the weight. And pull the leg all the way up, and meet it to do with a

[0:06:46] crunch in the front.

[0:06:48] This is now working the front of your tummy.

[0:06:50] The area we all need, front crunch. Yes, pull that belly button in. That’s it.

[0:06:57] Feel as though your navel is pulling towards your spine on this crunch, and inhale up here.

[0:07:03] And exhale. And as you exhale, really pull that tummy in.

[0:07:08] That’s it, great. This is working the lower tummy and really helping with balance.

[0:07:13] That’s it. Two more. Proud of you. Last one.

[0:07:19] Great, let’s go to the side now.

[0:07:21] Pull in and up. Side crunch, you got it, really feel it.

[0:07:28] If you can bend here, that’s it, gorgeous. You can do it.

[0:07:34] Side crunches for the sides of the waistline, our obliques.

[0:07:39] Last one, we’re gonna target all areas of the abs. OK, and now slowly lean slightly forward.

[0:07:46] Let’s do the waistline. Twist and release.

[0:07:50] We’re gonna twist and release now. Now while you do this, notice my front knee is slightly bent.

[0:07:57] I’m leaning and really helping myself, pushing against the chair for extra balance.

[0:08:04] And really twist, but as you twist, pull that tummy in. Twist.

[0:08:08] Tighten up those abs. That’s it, you got it.

[0:08:13] We’ve got a couple more. Just pull, work the waistline. Last one, OK. And let’s go across

[0:08:20] now. Beautiful, go across. Now we’re really getting the lower tummy with the waistline.

[0:08:26] This is an excellent one for extra balance, keeping your back strong.

[0:08:32] Preventing backaches, keeping your spine strong.

[0:08:36] We’ve got two more. Last one.

[0:08:39] OK, and place your weights down. Now it’s time to do the outer thigh.

[0:08:44] Balance. Now, when you’re doing this, zip up your abs.

[0:08:48] Feel as though you’re pulled in here.

[0:08:50] That’s it. Bend your knees slightly where you’re standing

[0:08:53] on. Lift the leg out to the side.

[0:08:56] Feel the balance all through the body.

[0:08:59] That’s the key here.

[0:09:00] Balance when the leg goes out.

[0:09:03] That’s important, to strengthen your spine as well as the core muscles.

[0:09:08] They exist all around here, the sides and the back.

[0:09:12] The entire center of your body are your core muscles.

[0:09:16] Last one, beautiful.

[0:09:18] Now I want you to hold yourself in an upright position.

[0:09:21] Place your hands right here. We’re gonna go up on our tippy toes.

[0:09:24] That’s it. Go up, up, up for balance, keeping our tummy

[0:09:27] pulled in, zip up those abs and back down.

[0:09:31] Now can you try that? And close your eyes to practice good balance,

[0:09:35] good brain health.

[0:09:37] Close your eyes. Are you feeling balanced?

[0:09:40] It’s really important to try that. One more. Lift up on your tippy toes,

[0:09:43] close your eyes, and even if you can, balance yourself, hold yourself.

[0:09:48] Challenge yourself, hold it up there.

[0:09:50] OK, and relax, and let’s stretch out the spine.

[0:09:54] Walk yourself all the way back down. Push your hips up to the ceiling,

[0:09:59] stretch your back, feeling that wonderful lengthen through the spine for good balance,

[0:10:04] good flexibility, and now slowly stand up. Taking a nice deep breath together,

[0:10:11] bring in the oxygen.

[0:10:13] And let out all the stress. Then there you did it.

[0:10:17] I’m so proud of you.

[0:10:18] If you can do this at least two times a week, that’ll be awesome to strengthen your core. And

[0:10:24] check out all my other videos right here at AARP.org.