Good Form: A little squeeze, a little twist make this a great core exercise
This exercise challenges your core strength and provides a nice twist to your spine. Squeezing a soft ball with your inner thighs helps to keep your hips correctly positioned so that you can target the tightest part of your spine, which is usually the mid-back.
Sit near the front edge of a sturdy chair with both feet flat on the floor. Place a soft 9-inch exercise ball between your knees. Inhale, sit up tall and raise your arms above your head.
On an exhalation, rotate your torso to the right. Focus on moving from your navel up, so that only your head, shoulders, chest and rib cage twist while your hips and knees remain facing forward. Pause for 2 seconds, then return to center. Repeat on the other side. Continue alternating sides until you have done 10 to 15 rotations to each side.
Voight is the creator of a line of fitness DVDs, including “Full Body Stretch” and “Ballet BodySculpt.”
