When it comes to building a strong core, most of us think about exercises like crunches, or sit ups. But there is a lot more to core strength than that. One of the main aspects of core strength is stability and balance. While the floor exercises are helpful, they strain your neck muscles, so what can one do?

You can build a powerful, stable midsection entirely on your feet. Standing core workouts are often more "functional" than traditional crunches because they mimic how your body actually moves in daily life, twisting, carrying, and resisting gravity.

7 Standing Exercises For Strong Core

These are some exercises you can try. They will not only help you build strong core muscles but also build your coordination and balance.

Standing Bicycle Crunches

This move is a fantastic way to wake up your entire abdominal wall. By bringing your opposite knee and elbow together in front of your body, you force your obliques to rotate and your front abs to crunch while standing. It also challenges your brain and balance as you switch from leg to leg. Focus on bringing the knee high rather than just pulling your neck down.

High-Intensity High Knees

This move brings a cardio element to your core training. By quickly driving your knees toward your chest, you engage the lower abdominals and hip flexors. It requires a lot of energy and keeps your heart rate high while forcing your abs to stabilize your upright torso. If the jumping is too much, you can perform it as a slow, powerful march instead.

Standing Dumbbell Side Crunch

Think of this as a side-bend with a purpose. By holding a weight in one hand and leaning toward it, you stretch the opposite side of your waist. The real work happens when you use those side muscles to pull your body back to a perfectly straight, upright position. It is one of the best ways to build lateral strength and define the sides of your torso.

Cable or Band Wood Chop

The wood chop mimics the diagonal motion of swinging an axe, which is a powerful, functional movement. It trains your core to handle rotational force, which is essential for sports like golf or tennis. As you pull the weight across your body, keep your hips stable and let your midsection drive the motion. This builds a core that is both strong and incredibly mobile.

Offset Marching

Holding a weight in one hand while marching forces your body to stabilize against an uneven load. Every time you lift a knee, your core has to fire to prevent you from wobbling or tipping toward the weighted side. This exercise is excellent for improving balance and strengthening the deep "hidden" muscles of the belly that keep your hips and lower back healthy.

The Pallof Press

This is an "anti-rotation" exercise, meaning the goal is to resist movement rather than create it. As you press a cable or band away from your chest, the tension tries to pull you sideways. Your core must stay tight to keep your hands centered. It is a subtle but intense burner that builds incredible stability in the deep abdominal layers and the obliques.

Heavy Suitcase Carry

This exercise is as simple as it is effective. By carrying a heavy weight on just one side, your core must work constantly to keep you from leaning over. This "anti-leaning" action recruits the deep muscles that protect your spine and improve your posture. Imagine there is a string pulling the top of your head toward the ceiling as you take steady, controlled steps.

Mobility and independence are two things that keep people healthy, however, with age, as bones weaken and muscle is lost, elderly become more dependent. This condition is called sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss. India is finally focusing on this and have now new guidelines to warn people against it.

The Geriatric Society of India released country's first 'Indian Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Sarcopenia'. These guidelines are a combination of recommendations by experts across multiple specialties, including geriatric medicine, orthopedics, endocrinology, physiotherapy and nutrition. These guidelines aim to help doctors detect and treat muscle loss early. The aim is to not let elderly compromise with their independence.

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What Is Sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia literally translates to 'loss of flesh'. Medically, it refers to gradual decline in muscle mass, strength and physical function with aging. While it is often overlooked, it is also the major reason for many fractures and hospitalizations of older adults, and sometimes, even death.

India is expected to have around 319 million people aged over 60 by 2050, which is one-fifth of the population. It could be concerning as they are at risk of sarcopenia. Studies have also shown that the number has increased from 8-18 per cent to 25-40 per cent adults, especially hospitalization cases. Experts point out that those with chronic diseases like diabetes are at a higher risk.

What Are The First Indian Guidelines On Muscle Loss or Sarcopenia?

Dr OP Sharma, who led guidelines said that muscle health is most important for healthy aging. "Strength preserves dignity. Early detection saves independence," he said. Dr Sharma also noted that the sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition and chronic illnesses are accelerating this condition among seniors.

The guidelines also advise doctors to look for warning signs in patients, which include weak grip strength, slower walking speed, or difficulty getting up from a chair. There are also screening tools like SARC-F questionnaire, which could help identify those at risk.

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The ray of hope here is that sarcopenia could be prevented or slowed that too with simple lifestyle changes.

What Lifestyle Changes Could Prevent Sarcopenia?

• Strength training exercises
• Adequate protein consumption
• Correcting deficiency including vitamin D and calcium

Doctors are also advising to eat a balanced diet, which includes protein, fats, green vegetables, and pulses. Dr Raju Vaishya of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, "India is a sarcopenic nation". He pointed that everyone needs to be aware about muscle health, however this awareness remains low in the country.

Dr Randeep Guleria said the guidelines aim to brings muscle health into routine medical care. "They bridge science with clinical wisdom, making sarcopenia visible in everyday practice."

A new Nature Human Behaviour (2026) study suggests that single-session psychological exercises lasting less than 10 minutes can lead to measurable decreases in depression symptoms even one month later.

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the world. Every year, hundreds of millions of people suffer from depression, and many are unable to get therapy because of cost, stigma and the dearth of mental-health professionals.

Symptoms include excessive sadness, depression often includes fatigue, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and feelings of hopelessness. Treatment requires professional guidance for diagnosis and management.

A 10-Minute Intervention With Lasting Effects

All the brief interventions took less than 10 minutes to complete and were designed to teach practical coping skills that are commonly used in psychotherapy. Some exercises helped participants to reframe negative thoughts, while others focused on motivation, goal-setting or making sense of things by helping others. Participants completed surveys measuring their well-being immediately after the session and again one month later.

The results were striking: while many exercises boosted motivation and hope immediately, two interventions - Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal and Finding Focus - showed measurable reductions in depression symptoms even after a month. On average, participants experienced about a four percent greater reduction in depression scores compared with the control group.

Although the improvement may appear small, researchers note that brief, scalable interventions could reach millions of people who currently lack access to mental-health care as they can be completed in a few minutes and delivered online, these exercises may allow people to take initial steps toward better mental health, especially those waiting for professional help or unwilling to ask for help.

The scientists also stressed that these activities are not intended to substitute for therapy, but should be seen as readily available tools to help with emotional health.

Exercise and Mental Health: A Growing Body of Evidence

Previous research also shows that a quick burst of activity can make you feel better from other research too. A British Journal of Health Psychology 2024 study found that just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice significantly improved well-being and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety among more than 1,200 participants from 91 countries.

Similarly, the US National Institutes of Health (2019) reviews suggest that the physical activity itself may help improve mood and depressive symptoms, strengthening the relationship between movement and mental health.

Collectively, these findings suggest that even small doses of mental or physical activity may lead to psychological benefits.

A Small Step That Can Make a Difference

Depression can make people feel trapped and out of control. The good news of the new research is that it suggests that big changes aren’t always necessary to move forward.

Sometimes, doing a small task, like spending 10 minutes learning a new coping skill or doing a quick mental exercise, is enough to change the way you think and gradually improve mood.

As researchers investigate these brief interventions, one thing is becoming clear: when it comes to mental health, few minutes matter more than we think.

British broadcaster Gabby Logan has revealed that her 20-year-old daughter Lois has been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition that may require her to step back from high-intensity endurance sport, including extreme long-distance running.

Speaking on her Mid-Point podcast, Logan said the diagnosis came after medical consultations about her daughter’s health and training. During the appointment, a specialist advised Lois to avoid “extreme running,” prompting mixed emotions in the family, concern about the condition, but also relief about scaling back punishing physical goals.

What PCOS Means for Athletes

PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age, affecting an estimated 8–13 per cent globally. It occurs when the body produces higher levels of androgens (male-type hormones) and often involves insulin resistance.

The condition can cause irregular periods, acne, excessive hair growth, weight changes and fertility challenges. Many patients also have difficulty regulating blood sugar, increasing long-term risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

While exercise is widely recommended as a cornerstone of PCOS management, helping improve insulin sensitivity, metabolism and mood, specialists say the type and intensity of exercise matter.

Why Extreme Endurance Could Be A Problem

Doctors cautioned Lois against extreme endurance events such as half-marathons because prolonged, high-intensity training can significantly elevate cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.

In people with PCOS, hormonal balance is already fragile. Persistently high cortisol may:

• worsen insulin resistance
• disrupt ovulation further
• aggravate fatigue and inflammation
• intensify menstrual irregularities

In other words, although movement is beneficial, chronic physical stress can sometimes counteract the hormonal stability patients are trying to restore.

Moderate-intensity exercise, brisk walking, strength training and shorter runs, is generally considered more supportive for hormone regulation than sustained high-intensity endurance workloads.

From Half Marathon To Shorter Goals

Logan previously completed the London Landmarks Half-Marathon with Lois in 2024, describing the preparation as mentally and physically demanding. The pair had hoped to repeat the experience, but the new medical advice has changed those plans.

Instead, they now intend to focus on shorter runs together.

The television presenter admitted she felt a surprising sense of relief at the specialist’s recommendation, recalling how intense the training had been for both of them.

A sporting life continues — just differently

Lois, a competitive showjumper and university student, has long balanced academics with elite sport. She has ridden horses since childhood and competed at national levels, later even participating in a charity jockey race — an experience she described as “brutal.”

Her diagnosis does not end her athletic pursuits, but it reshapes them.

Medical experts increasingly stress that PCOS management is not about stopping exercise but tailoring it. Sustainable training, adequate recovery, and balanced nutrition often produce better long-term hormonal outcomes than relentless endurance performance.

For athletes with PCOS, the goal shifts from pushing physical limits to supporting physiological stability — a change that, doctors say, can ultimately protect both performance and health.