That's Fit

In just a couple of weeks we're going to be watching some of the world's most elite athletes compete. From beach volleyball players to swimmers and almost every sport in between, one thing you're sure to see on your TV screen are some rock-hard abs.

Core strength is so important to many sports. Women's Health Magazine got some tips from Olympic trainers on developing those gold medal abs. Some of the moves are:

• Hanging Straight-Leg Raise. This move is no joke. (My abs are aching just reading about it.) You'll hang from a pull-up bar then, keeping your head and back straight, slowly raise your legs until they're parallel to the floor.
  
• Walking Lunge Plate Twist. Hold a 10 to 25-pound weight plate in front of your chest and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lunge forward with your right leg until it's parallel with the floor. Twist your upper body 90 degrees to the right. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side.
• Twisting Windmill. Lay on your back with your arms out to the sides. Raise your legs until they're perpendicular to the floor. Slowly lower your leg to the left side of your body. Lift and repeat on the right side.

Though nobody wants to own up to it, a lot of us women have a little bit of flab to our arms. Right? RIGHT? (Please tell me I'm right.) In my family we joke that it's genetic. Heck, even my cousin who is tiny, thin, and runs marathons in her spare time has them.

If you're also an unwilling member of the flabby arm club, check out these exercises from Good Housekeeping. They've compiled a series of arm and shoulder exercises including butterfly curls, shoulder raises, and more. Better yet, there are "core charger" exercises in between each arm move. I tried it this morning and it's a great little routine -- the whole thing took less than 15 minutes. Give it a shot and, in time, you might be able to wave goodbye to that unwanted wave in your arms!

Check out AOL Health for more arm exercise ideas.

We are a society obsessed with multiples. We don't want one car, we want a fleet of them. We're not satisfied with just having a television in the living room, we want one in the kitchen, the bedrooms, and even the shower. We're not content with a person juggling three pins -- we won't be satisfied until there's five pins, two chainsaws, three tennis balls, and the entire Encyclopedia Britannica collection being tossed around in the air. And when it comes to sex ... well, you get the point. In many ways, this same obsession with multiples carries over into the fitness world, too.

That's why the perfect exercise for the numbers-obsessed exerciser is the Double Swiss Ball Stability Pose. Unlike other Swiss Ball exercises that only require the use of one ball, this fantastic builder of core strength uses two. To do it, lie face-down on two Swiss Balls. Keep your body straight, with your chest on the first ball and your knees and shins on the second ball. Now, depending on your current level of fitness, you may want to either place your palms on the floor, or grab onto the sides of the first ball with your forearms and hands. In case you were wondering, the latter is much more difficult than the former, although each will provide you with a great core workout.

Try to hold in this position for 20 seconds. As your core strength becomes greater, increase this amount of time by five-second increments. Then, once you're done, flip through the 8,000 songs on your iPod and find one that will help motivate you through a second set.

I refer to Cat-Cow Stretch, of course; where was your mind?

High arch builds core strength
Back sags with gentle relief
Abdominals stretch

One of my favorite poses; I do it every morning and evening. It protects the lower back, strengthens abdominals and your core, and stretches everything you strained by sleeping funny or by all-day abuse. Try this one!

Have you ever wanted to look like a superhero? Well here's your chance! FitList has three exercises that will help you develop speed, strength, and agility -- three of Spiderman's signature superpowers. These exercises won't have you swinging between buildings or locating dangerous situations with your spidey-sense, but they will have you building upper body and core strength and putting your speed to the test.

And remember, Spiderman had to get bit by a radioactive spider to earn his superpowers. You, as a mere mortal, need to take this workout one day at a time. If you're a beginner, start slow and work you're way up. You'll be amazed at your progress and you'll be much less likely to injure yourself.

Whether you're taking a fitness class, following a workout DVD at home, or working with a personal trainer, you'll probably hear your fitness instructor at some point talk about "strengthening your core." Your core muscles are deep with in your torso and pelvis, and it's their job to hold you upright and and keep you balanced as you go about your daily routine. Keeping your core muscles strong will improve your posture, prevent back pain, and prevent injury as well. The core is your center of gravity, so keeping it strong will improve your performance in almost every fitness activity.

Interested in learning more about strengthening your core? The nice thing about core exercises is that you don't need any equipment and many of them can be done anywhere you have some floor space. Check out this slide show from MayoClinic.com for a nice tutorial in exercising your core.

A few years ago, when the yoga class at my gym was full, I decided to try Pilates. At the time, I was doing 100 crunches a day and working out frequently, and I thought it would be a piece of cake for me. I was wrong. While I found that the abdominal strength I already had helped me through the class, the class wasn't really about strength; it was about endurance, namely the ability to hold a pose for a while and move slowly through the movements. That was the hard part for me, and it's something I still struggle with, years later.

These days, pilates is trendy, practiced among many A-list celebrities like Jennifer Aniston. It's a great class for beginners, but I think it has even greater benefits for people who are already active. Until I took pilates, I never realized how big a role my core plays in everything I do. Since I've taken pilates, I'm much more aware of my core strength and try to integrate it into every sport and activity I participate in. Using my core, I'm better at many things, including wakeboarding, snowboarding, volleyball and even yoga. I'm hoping to try surfing this year and know my core will play a huge part in that so I better start preparing.