Strengthening your core muscles

Strengthening your core muscles

1. This 20-minute seated strengthening programme has been designed specifically for people with MS. It focuses on arm, back and core strength.  Parts of this routine will also help you to stretch the muscles at your sides (the muscles that cover your rib cage and waist and top of your hip).
   

2. If you are able to get into kneeling (on your hands and knees) – these exercises from the MS Trust make up a useful core stability routine.
   
   https://www.mstrust.org.uk/life-ms/exercise/build-your-own-exercise-routine/kneeling-exercises
   
   
3. This 10-minute routine is fast paced and much more challenging than above. It hasn’t been designed specifically for people with MS but if one of your aims is to improve your core strength, this seated program might be something you want to work towards doing.  The routine focusses on strengthening abdominal muscles – but it will also act to strengthen your arms and will have a cardiovascular effect (it will make your heart beat faster and you breathe harder).  To do this routine you need to be able to move your arms quickly and have light hand weights, or drinks cans available.  If you want to give this routine a try, you might need to break it down into a few minutes at a time or do the movements without the weights.  Don’t worry if you can’t move as quickly as the instructor.