12-Minute Pick-Me-Up — Exercise Ball for Spine & Core
Express Workouts
•
12m
This is a quick one designed to do exactly what it says — pick you up and move you on. The whole thing is done on the exercise ball, which adds an element of balance and instability to movements that would be ordinary on the floor. We work through seated balancing and pelvic circles, side bends, chest opening, cat-cow on the knees, and then drape over the ball for some real spinal extension — the kind of opening that's hard to find any other way. Twelve minutes, no warm-up needed, genuinely useful.
The instability of the ball makes every seated movement a balance challenge — you recruit core muscles you don't even know you have just to stay on it
Draping over the ball for spinal extension is one of the most satisfying releases for the mid and upper back — gravity does the work for you
This is a great one to have in your back pocket for days when you need to move but don't have time or energy for a full class
Up Next in Express Workouts
-
5 Min Abs
This is the kind of thing t I do right after a jog, or as a warm up, when I want to make it count without making it a whole thing. Pelvic curls and bridges to warm up, then straight through the abdominal series — single leg, double leg, oblique work, side planks, mountain climbers — and a quick c...
-
Quick Hip & Leg Reset — Side-Lying Se...
This is a short one designed to do exactly what it says — wake up the hips and legs and get out of your way. We start on all fours with a focused cat-cow to get the pelvis moving properly on the ball and socket, then go straight into a thorough side-lying series: clams in two positions, leg lifts...
-
Morning Qigong Warm Up to Bring in th...
This one is short by design. It's meant to be done first thing — ideally with some morning light, but indoors works just as well. We open every joint, tap and brush to wake up the lymphatic system, and do a few simple qigong forms to get the breath and energy moving. The lung form at the end is e...