One simple thing
Not just for babies: Crawling to work the core
Your next best exercise doesn't involve equipment, running, jumping or even standing.
“Make the floor your friend,” says Danielle Johnson, a physical therapist at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program in Rochester, Minn.
As a working mom, Johnson is always looking for ways to challenge exercise norms.
She said crawling is an “amazing core exercise” that also benefits the legs, shoulders, arms and chest. It can improve balance and coordination, she added.
“Crawling may seem silly and better left to children, but as a full body exercise it's hard to beat,” Johnson said.
To start, get on your hands and knees and pull in your abdominal muscles, which is key, she said.
Next, she said to “hover your knees just an inch or two off the ground.” Use your hands and toes to support your body.
Keeping your bottom down, try to move, about 4 to 6 inches back and forth and side to side. She suggests setting a goal to work up from 30 seconds to five minutes.
“Crawling is really working all of those muscles,” she said. “It's really catching almost all of the major muscles in your body.”
You can switch it up with a crab crawl — sit on the ground, raise your hips up with your hands to the side and move side to side or back and forth.
“It's a little bit more fun,” added Johnson.
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