Exercise and Fitness Archive

Strengthening your core will rev up your balance and stability.

After a long winter with lots of isolating and maybe too little physical activity, it might be time to give your core muscles more attention.

These muscles, located throughout much of your trunk, are the key to supporting your lower back and helping you stand, get out of a chair, bend, lift, and maintain your balance. So regular maintenance and tune-ups of the core muscles are important.

A good one can provide motivation and customized advice on a safe, effective, and well-rounded exercise routine.

Exercise is one of the pillars of heart disease prevention. But at some point, you may need help shoring up your workout habits. Maybe you exercise only in fits and starts, without sticking to a regular routine. Or perhaps you're in a rut, doing the same old 30-minute trudge on the treadmill every day.

Another possibility: You have a health condition (such as high blood pressure or arthritis) or another physical problem (an old knee or back injury, for example) that makes you hesitant to exercise. For all of these reasons and more, hiring a personal trainer can be a sound investment.

This example of a Calming Practice yoga exercise can be done any time of day. If you're anxious or worked up over a stressful situation, the ujjayi breath exercise can center and relax you. It's among dozens of exercises featured in "Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Health Publishing. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

Among the Basic Practice exercises in "Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Medical School, is this breathing exercise. "Three-part breath" is simple enough to do almost anytime and anywhere. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

"Lion's breath," because of its starting position, is also called "five-pointed star into goddess with lion's breath." It's among the Energizing Practice routines in "Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Medical School. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

The Energizing Practice routine described in "Intermediate Yoga"—a Harvard Medical School special report—involves vigorous breathing to bring more oxygen to your body and brain. The result: physical and mental energy. Breath of joy is among the featured exercises. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

"Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Medical School, includes a Strengthening Practice routine with multiple exercises that help develop both mental and physical strength. Among them is "bellows breath." To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

Among the Flexibility Practice exercises in "Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Medical School, is sun breath. The Flexibility Practice routine will help you gain more supple muscles and greater range of motion through various joints. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

"Half sun salutation" is among the Basic Practice exercises described in "Intermediate Yoga," a special health report from Harvard Medical School. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy

The basic practice yoga exercises in "Intermediate Yoga"—a special health report from Harvard Medical School—includes sun salutation. Within this three-minute routine, you'll assume multiple positions, including lunge, plank, child's pose, upward-facing dog, downward-facing dog, and forward fold. To learn additional intermediate yoga exercises, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/iy