Before, we were used to seeing new models of treadmills, stationary bikes, even dumbbells and other gym equipment that allow us to perform cardiovascular and strength exercises. Now, a vast majority of products being sold on TV are those that target one specific area, our abdominals.

This is because of the emphasis being put by fitness experts on our CORE muscles. The core is the midsection of our body, from the groin to the shoulder. It includes our pelvis, back, abs and chest muscles. Every movement we make originates from it. Therefore, if the core is not conditioned, it will affect the strength of our other muscles.

Think of yourself as a car. No matter how much you spend and how well you take care of the hood, wheels, and even the upholstery, if you don't take good care of your engine, then your car will not do you any good. It might look good, but if it doesn't even run decently, then it doesn't amount to much, right?

Same thing goes for your body. Even if you are able to perform a thousand bicep curls and a hundred leg curls, if your core is not strong enough, you will not be able to optimize the strength of your limbs, and worse, it can even lead to injuries.

So what do you do now? Strengthen your core. Lucky for you, there are very simple ways to do it. Pilates and the Swiss Ball are two of them.

Here's how they are different from one another.

The Pilates makes use of our own body for resistance. It mixes proper breathing with slow and controlled movements while lying on the floor most of the time. In this way, the core muscles are strengthened.

The Swiss Ball, meanwhile, provides instability and engages the core as you try to balance on it. There are many fun and easy exercises that you can do with it; and each one of them helps make our core muscles stronger.

Even without core exercises, having the proper posture when lifting weights will help out a lot to strengthen the core. Straightening your body while doing push ups can also help.

To be completely sure on how to do these exercises properly, you must seek the help of those who know best. The Body Project in Eagan has fitness training centers where you can perform these exercises. Our Eagan studio has personal trainers that know how to do those crunches properly and instill in you a healthy lifestyle to better achieve a leaner body.

While core exercises are very easy to perform, many are discouraged because they get hurt easily and are unable to do as many repetitions as they could.

Note that it's supposed to be like that. You will feel some discomfort in your abdominals because you are engaging your muscles there. But then again, it's always best to seek a trainer's advice to ensure that you are doing things right.

The Body Project's philosophies will definitely help you achieve a better, leaner, and firmer body. Our Eagan studio's personal trainers will go the extra mile to teach you proper training techniques.