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When it comes to ab workouts, it often feels like you have three options: take a pricey Pilates reformer class, suffer in a plank for minutes straight, or do a million useless crunches. All of those entail burning abdominals, but if you ask us, none of them seem very fun, which might be why we often skip ab workouts altogether.
Core workouts have a somewhat bad reputation, because they can be tough — but they're also incredibly important, explains Andrea Rogers, founder of Xtend Barre, a full-body Pilates-based boutique workout. "Your core is the center of all movement," she says. A healthy and strong core supports your joints, maintains correct alignment and posture, and ensures that you can move efficiently through functional movements, she says.
If you can challenge yourself to add 10 minutes of core work to your daily routine, you'd be surprised how it can change your body and mindset, Rogers says. That's why she's created the following 30-day ab workout challenge full of unique, dance- and Pilates-based ab exercises. The routine goes well beyond just planks and crunches, because the goal is to incorporate the entire core. "I wanted to keep the body moving which will help keep the mind active and present," she says. "You may even feel muscle groups you didn't know you had."
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