Even if we haven’t felt them in a while, our stomach muscles are a part of our everyday movement. They help coordinate the movement of our limbs, they help us sit up and they help us do much more.

This week, we’re going to engage our stomach muscles to get our day off to a great start!

When you wake up, tighten and release your stomach muscles 10 times. Make sure you tighten them slowly, controlling each part of the muscle movement and focusing on all areas of your abdomen. Take special care to tuck your navel in and think about bringing your lower abdominal muscles to the back of your spine.

Do this exercise every day and add an extra squeeze each day! By the end of the week, you’ll be doing 16 stomach clenches!

For an extra challenge, do a second set of stomach clenches while standing against the wall. Try to flatten your spine against the wall, elongating it as best you can. While doing this, please your stomach on your abdominal muscles to feel them tightening.

This exercise is great for your digestion and worth doing every morning. Who knows, maybe you will want to keep increasing your crunch count for a while before settling on a number for your regular wake-up routine!

If you feel that your stomach muscles are fatigued, take a day or two off before restarting this exercise.

Want more great ways to start your morning? Then we’ve got the tip for you.

Andrew is a Certified Personal Trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He teaches people to listen to their bodies and helps them thrive as they find the connection between health and happiness.

If you are interested in a free fitness consultation, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), and he will be delighted to teach you how to start enjoying fitness and making it a part of your life.