Kelsey Wells New Year's Challenge: 10-minute low impact core workout

Welcome to Yahoo Lifestyle's exclusive two-week New Year workout series with Sweat trainer Kelsey Wells. These workouts will take you less than 15-minutes! Quick and simple to follow so it won’t take time out of your busy holiday season.

This 10-minute Core workout is inspired by Kelsey Wells’ Low Impact Strength Program in the Sweat app. This Core workout is suitable for all fitness levels and is beginner friendly, and is an optional workout in this 2-week workout plan.

The exercises in this workout are designed to help you return to, or be introduced to, strength training in a safe manner with modifications and no equipment required. The workout includes an activation to engage your core and a circuit of targeted exercises that will help get your heart rate up.

"If you are new to strength training or you are returning to exercise after some time off, this optional core workout can help you to start activating your abdominals and obliques," Kelsey explains.

"Training your core is super important, especially for when you start lifting weights further down the track, as it helps with movement control and posture."

Week 1, Day 2: Low Impact Core Workout

Warm Up: Kelsey recommends taking a few minutes to warm-up prior to working out. 3-5 minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping, will help increase your heart rate and help warm up your muscles for your session.

Activation - 3 laps

Plank on Knees - 30 seconds

Step 1: Start by placing your forearms (wrist to elbow) firmly on the mat, ensuring that your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Extend both legs behind you and elevate your hips off the mat, resting on your knees. Brace your abdominals and ensure that your spine remains in a neutral position.

Hundreds - 30 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that your hips and knees are together. Imprint your spine into the mat and bring your legs into tabletop position, ensuring that your knees are stacked over your hips, your toes are pointed, and your shins are parallel to (in line with) the floor. Rest your hands gently on your knees. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Set your T-zone. Exhale. Tuck your chin into your chest and draw your ribs to your hips to elevate your head, shoulder blades and upper back off the mat, ensuring that your T-zone remains set to prevent the ‘doming’ of your abdominals. At the same time, extend your knees to create a 90-degree angle at your hips and extend your arms by your sides with palms facing down, ensuring that your arms are parallel to (in line with) the floor.

Step 3: Inhale. Elevate your arms slightly and then lower your arms slightly. Complete this action, called a pulse, five times in total.

Step 4: Exhale. Elevate your arms slightly and then lower your arms slightly. Complete this action, called a pulse, five times in total.

Step 5: Repeat this movement until you have completed 100 pulses (10 breaths) in total, inhaling for five pulses and exhaling for five pulses.

Circuit - 3 laps

Russian Twist - 30 Seconds / rest 15 seconds

Step 1: With your hands clasped in front of your chest, start seated on a yoga mat with knees bent and heels firmly planted. Lean back slightly so that your abdominals are engaged and you are balancing on your sit bones. This is your starting position.

Step 2: While keeping your lower body as still as possible, twist your torso to the right and gently touch your elbow on the mat next to your right hip. If you cannot reach the mat, just twist as far as you can while keeping your lower body still.

Step 3: Untwist your torso to return to the starting position.

Step 4: While keeping your lower body as still as possible, twist your torso to the left and gently touch your elbow on the mat next to your left hip. If you cannot reach the mat, just twist as far as you can while keeping your lower body still.

Step 5: Untwist your torso to return to the starting position.

Bear Crawl - 30 Seconds / rest 15 seconds

Step 1: Starting on all fours on a yoga mat, ensure that your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Set your spine in a neutral position and draw your shoulder blades down and back. Tuck your toes and lift your knees off the mat, resting on the balls of your feet. This is your starting position.

Step 2; Take a small step forward with your left foot and right hand at the same time, ensuring that you keep your abdominals engaged to help minimise torso movement and that your torso remains parallel to the floor.

Step 3: Take a small step forward with your right foot and left hand at the same time, once again, ensuring that you keep your abdominals engaged to help minimise torso movement and that your torso remains parallel to the floor. Continue alternating between left and right for the specified number of repetitions

Bent-Leg Raise - 30 Seconds / rest 15 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying on your back on a yoga mat with your hands beneath your coccyx. Gently draw your ribs to your hips to engage your core and elevate your legs off the mat slightly. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Bend your knees and using your abdominals, draw them in towards your chest, ensuring that your feet stay together.

Step 3: Exhale. Slowly extend your legs to return to the starting position. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions.

Cool Down: Kelsey recommends completing 3-5 minutes of walking will help to slowly lower your heart rate to normal levels and help your body to cool down after a workout. You might also like to complete some static stretching as part of your cool down, where you hold a single position for twenty seconds or longer. Static stretching works to lengthen your muscles with the aim of increasing your flexibility and range of motion. It can also help provide relief from any potential cramping and can help reduce soreness and risk of injury.

Stay tuned for Day 3 of Kelsey's two-week workout plan tomorrow. You can also find all of Kelsey's workouts on our Youtube channel.

If you missed Day 1 check it out here:

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