Adding a few simple moves to your daily routine can help you strengthen your midsection.

Many people think that core exercises mainly target your belly, but there’s much more to your core. It also includes the muscles in your back, sides, pelvis, hips, and buttocks. "Think of your core as all the muscles that help stabilize your trunk so your limbs can move," says Eric L’Italien, a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning coach with the Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

A strong core helps support cardiovascular health by helping you stay active. First, many physical activities and sports depend on a stable, flexible core, including cycling, golf, tennis and other racquet sports, and swimming. Second, core exercises (if done regularly) may also help prevent low back pain, which affects four in five Americans at some point in their lives. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor — and a major reason people don’t exercise.

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