strengthen your core

These simple items can help you

You needn’t spend a cent on fancy equipment to get a good workout. A standing core workout and floor core workout rely on body weight alone. With the help of some simple equipment, you can diversify and ramp up your workouts

. To start, consider buying only what you need for the specific workout you’d like to do.

If you have a gym membership, use the facility’s equipment. Here is a description of all of the equipment used in the six workouts designed by Harvard experts and found in our report Core Excerises.

• Chair.

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• Choose a sturdy chair that won’t tip over easily. A plain wooden dining chair without arms or heavy padding works well.

• Mat.

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• Use a nonslip, well-padded mat. Yoga mats are readily available. A thick carpet or towels will do in a pinch.

• Yoga strap.

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• This is a non-elastic cotton or nylon strap of six feet or longer that helps you position your body properly during certain stretches, or while doing the easier variation of a stretch. Choose a strap with a D-ring or buckle fastener on one end. This allows you to put a loop around a foot or leg and then grasp the other end of the strap.

• Medicine balls.

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• Similar in size to a soccer ball or basketball, medicine balls come in different weights. Some have a handle on top. A 4-pound to 6-pound medicine ball is a good start for most people.

• Bosu.

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• A Bosu Balance Trainer is essentially half a stability ball mounted on a heavy rubber platform that holds the ball firmly in place.