Sit on your butt and strengthen your abs....say what?
It's not my job to change the way people think about their abdominals but I maybe able to help you gain a lot more strength in a very different way than you would ever expect.
First you have to understand the body is wired in a way that it is more connected than you will ever be able to understand with your mind. Yet you can experience this connection if you get your "thinking" out of the way and begin to just move a little differently than you're probably used to. When we tighten any muscle we create tension. When I lift a weight I create tension within the muscles I'm using. I release the tension when I set the weight down. We want the body to be starting any movement in a relaxed state. This may seem easy but most of us hold unwanted tension without even knowing it because we lack the awareness of this tension until it begins to bother us. To release this tension and work muscles in a more effective way, start with centering your body and in this video to sit in a chair.
Ready to work your abdominals?
The abdominals are directly connected to many other muscles around our torso. So the beauty is you NEVER HAVE TO THINK ABOUT A MUSCLE TO HAVE IT WORK CORRECTLY. Yes you can trust the body already knows how to do the movement IF you set the structure up correctly. If you start the movement from a centered place...then relax....well watch the video and you will understand what I'm saying.
I show you how the simple movement of getting out of a chair by making the smallest changes can profoundly impact how your body feels, works and ages. Our bodies' aging process accelerates by ignoring it (except the few moments in our day or week at the gym.) Each day notice how much you pay attention to things that have either already happened or haven't happened yet.Little attention is given to what you are doing right now. So if 'now' is all you have, then the move of getting out of your chair can become a rather entertaining and enjoyable thing. Stress can decrease greatly by noticing what you are doing right now. It's well documented how mindfulness can give you a much greater quality of life. So by mindfully moving in and out of your chair, your mind and your spine will thank you.
You are 'body smart' you just don't realize it.
If you see the body as broken or something needing to be fixed then you will work on doing all sorts of exercises to "whip it in line" or "protect your back" or 'tone it up" like it's a thing not an intelligent, living being. Remember you are a humanBEING. So there is a trust factor when you want to heal or get the body in a healthier state. You have to change your mindset and become interested on a more subtle level. We are not very "body smart" in our technological society yet we can gain this intelligence without having to give up the luxuries of our lifestyle. We just have to give more attention to our body on a very basic level. Start by using something you do A LOT -- like sitting -- to bring you to a more aware state and then take THAT awareness into your run, your tennis match, a hike or whatever you enjoy doing.