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Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

Compelling Copy for Female Founders

5 Ab Exercises To Carve Your Core

February 17, 2016

Working your abs can be rough. It makes breathing all hard to do, it makes your face all red, and it makes your stomach feel like a jar of jelly. As fun as that might sound in theory, most ab workouts don’t live up to the hype. I once heard that Usher does 1,000 sit-ups every day to maintain his six-pack (which is more like a 12-pack), and that honestly sounds psychotic to me. Who has that kind of time? I mean, except for multimillionaire, voice-of-an-angel singers — who else has that kind of time? I sure as heck don’t.

And while I also don’t have anything near what you’d call a six- or 12-pack, I do have a sturdy core that helps me maintain healthy balance and posture every day. I used to do your typical crunches with an occasional plank thrown in; sometimes I’d mix it up with some reverse or oblique crunches, too. But since I’ve been switching up my workouts more and more lately, I’ve learned some insanely impactful abdominal routines that have trimmed my waist and made my gut feel stronger than ever. Here are five of my favorites that I do a several times a week to keep up a solid core.

(What are some of your favorite ab exercises? Leave them in the comment section below!)

Heel Touches

Bend your knees slightly and flex your feet as you lay flat on your back, pressing your spine into the ground, arms relaxed by the sides. Touch heels to the ground, maintaining bent knee shape, and raise them back to beginning placement for 20 reps x 3 sets.

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Russian Twists

Using an 8- or 10-pound medicine ball, sit in a V-position with bent knees and touch the ball on each side of your body for 10 reps per side x 3 sets.

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Medicine Ball Lifts

In the same bodily position as Russian Twists, lift an 8- or 10-pound medicine ball straight over your head and then bring back in to your chest for 15 reps x 3 sets.

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Long-arm Crunches

Lay flat on your bad with your legs flat on the ground. Hold your arms straight over your chest with hands clasped together. Sit up completely, maintaining hands pointing straight toward the ceiling during the entire movement. Lay back down with hands still extended toward ceiling and repeat for 15 reps x 3 sets.

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Alternating Leg/Arm Planks

Holding a plank on your forearms, stretch your left arm and right leg straight out; hold for 5 seconds. Switch arms/legs and repeat motion, holding for 5 seconds. Do 10 reps per arm/leg combo x 3 sets.

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Welcome! I'm Audrey, and I adore connecting with female founders and telling their stories in a way that matters & lasts for years to come.

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audskelton

Who do you think was more excited about this day t Who do you think was more excited about this day trip out to the coast... us or Wallace? 😅😂 I love them. Also, I can’t get over the burp cloth on John’s shoulder. Ya know, just in case. #newparentlife
One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big c One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big charcuterie board, a deck of cards, a couple glasses of rosé, and no baby monitor. 🤎

The first week of Wallace’s life? I ached even being in another room from him (#hormones). I was a wreck of emotions and had legitimate baby tunnel vision... preeeetty much nothing else mattered. But things have been balancing out this past week, and today was so needed.

My mom is in town all month and watched Wally for us so we could have some time just us two—yep, in the backyard because of shelter in place restrictions from COVID. (Plus let’s be real... I’m not quite ready for an out-of-the-house date yet anyway. 😂)

As much as I desire to be a present + loving mama and ambitious business owner, it’s just as important to me to prioritize our marriage with little moments like this to just be in each other’s presence (and not just talk about burping and swaddling and bedtime routines, like most of our recent convos).

Here’s to (almost) 2 weeks of being parents, @the_beermonger. I think we’ll do okay.
My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎 My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎
Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands without a bump. 👐🏼 Wallace, trying to figure out what we’re doing out of the house. 🤨

First family walk in the books! All of 10 minutes. 🤪 (Also, does anyone else notice the rainbow over Wally?... My heart. 🌈🥺)
1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & mos 1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & most rewarding week of my life. Babies’ sleep schedules, y’all. They are not for the faint of heart.

Wallace is hitting all his milestones, has learned the alphabet, and is picking up Latin. Just kidding. But he CAN poop 3 times in an hour and a half 😎, and he eats like a champ, is so strong that we prefer to tag team diaper changes for now, and makes the sweetest, cutest noises all day long. (And night.) Like even his cry is cute. 😩

One of my friends called this time the “wet weeks”: urine, breast milk, spit up, night sweats, tears, blood, more tears. It’s a lot, and it’s temporary. So even in the hard moments, we are reminding ourselves that the hardest things are often the best things. 

And this really has been the best thing.

So, so thankful for a hands-on husband who’s been so involved in everything... there’s something indescribable about watching your partner care for your child and step into a big, new role like this so gracefully. And we are thankful for ALL of the support, near and far (... mostly far), from our family and friends and coworkers. What a week... here’s to continuing to figure it all out together as a family. 😌
At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worl At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worlds and hearts were changed forever. Everything in between was a gritty, fast-moving tidal wave of emotion, pain, instinct, and a kind of love I never could’ve imagined.

Welcome, Wallace Ronal Skelton. 🤎 You kept us waiting until you decided, very quickly, you’d like to be here. I’m still in disbelief that you are ours. 

January 4, 2021 • 7 lbs 4 oz • 20.5 inches • Sweet as can be.
Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our sense of punctuality which realllly threw me for a loop after thinking & saying for months that I was certain he/she would get here early. I’ve drank 3 boxes of raspberry leaf tea in 3 weeks, walked dozens of miles, eaten way too many dates, done hundreds of squats and bench step-ups... and now I’m surrendering. You come whenever you feel like it, little one. I’m comfy enough and can still sleep through the night (minus a bathroom break or two) so we will just keep on waiting and letting you teach us our first lesson of parenthood: PATIENCE. I knew I could always use some more of it. 😉 #40weekspregnant #pregnancy
scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morni scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morning hike. ☀️🍂 in a year that’s felt like 5, getting outside whenever we can has been my favorite way to reset. so thankful to live in such gorgeous surroundings!
our first and probably only christmas just us thre our first and probably only christmas just us three! quiet and simple and a little sad but mostly filled with hope and gratitude. hope yours is special in all the best ways. 🤍
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