You might have heard Pilates folks talk about your core being like a the trunk of a tree–strong and solid in order to protect your body. This holiday season my family decided to test that theory.

We like over-sized trees–no less than nine feet (short for us) and the wider the better.


The tree was the most prickly tree I ever remember having, so we had to bundle up for protection.

In addition to sharp needles, the tree was so heavy that we couldn’t lift it. We needed leverage, so my boyfriend Matt volunteered to let us roll the tree on top of him so that he could lift it with his core (and legs). We rolled that tree right onto Matt’s core and instead of a Darwin Award, which we half expected, we had success–a beautiful tree to enjoy the whole month.
(Note, the tree is tied to the rafters to help keep it upright.)