Core strength is essential for healthy aging. It aids with balance and stability. That helps you stay safe and keep you moving. Abdominal exercises, like sit-ups and crunches, are beneficial. But a yoga pose may be better.
The boat pose, or Navasana, makes a person’s body a “V.” The move strengthens multiple muscles, strengthening the core.
“Ab exercises help support that by strengthening key muscles such as the obliques, lower back and deep stabilizers like the transverse abdominis,” said Melissa Leach, a certified yoga instructor and strength and conditioning coach. “Together, these muscles work to stabilize your spine, creating a strong foundation for movement and allowing you to transfer force more efficiently between your upper and lower body." She pointed out that core strength can help prevent injury.
A sit-up works on “one plan of motion.” The boat pose uses all the core muscles to control balance, lift and control. While a sit-up strengthens the trunk muscles, the boat pose helps stabilize the spine and pelvis.
A claim within the yoga community is that doing the boat pose is the equivalent of doing 100 sit-ups. While a sit-up is repeated motion, the boat pose is about holding one position to stay stable.
Jessica Robinson, a personal trainer, says the two exercises serve different purposes and work for different stages of training. She pointed out that the boat pose aids core stability while sit-ups strengthen muscles for bending the spine.
If you don’t do yoga, the boat pose may sound, or look, daunting. However, for beginners or people with limited core strength, there is a chair version to try. Use a sturdy chair. Sit toward the front. Hold the sides for stability. Lean back while lifting one or both feet a few feet off the floor. You can work up to the full version at your own pace, as it is safe for your mobility abilities.
