Core Importance For Better Overall Strength

The core muscles are the basis for movement in most everyday activities and exercises. The abdominals and muscles in the lower back are the prime movers for our spine, hip girdle, and thoracic cavity. Once these muscles are strong and well trained we have to ability to improve the strength of our extremities and surrounding muscles. A great analogy of comparison is, the way a tree is blown in the wind, the strongest parts are the trunk and its major branches. If the trunk is week and the branches are big then the whole tree will snap much easier in the wind.

The core section of our bodies, on a basic level, can be broken up into three different sections.

1) Rectus Abdominis: The main muscles that runs vertically down from the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs to the Pubic crest. This is what people to refer to as “the six pack.” This muscle allows for trunk flexion.

2) External and Internal Obliques, and Transverse Abdominis: The external and internal obligues are located laterally to the the Rectus Abdominis, beginning at external sides of the rib five through eight and attach to the linea alba (the white tissue between the muscles in Abdominal Wall Muscles(1)). The transverse abdominis are located underneath the Obligues and the fibers run horizontally from ribs in the back to the linea alba in front. The function of these muscles is to laterally flex the vertebral column, allowing for side to side movement.

3) Latissimus Dorsi, Erector Spinae muscle group, and serratus posterior: The Latissimus Dorsi are one of the biggest muscles in the back starting from the lower back and inserting at on back of arm. The erector spinae run along the entire back along the spine. The serratus posterior are located higher up at the lower four ribs and attach along the spine. The main action that these muscles serve is back extension, except the latissimus Dorsi which serve multi purposes with arm movements.

That is the basic anatomy of what the core muscles entail. Once the location of the muscles are understood, the next steps are to progress in an attainable manner. If the progression is rushed then there is a higher risk of injury. Below is a link that gives great explanation and photos of beginning, intermediate, and advanced exercise progression. http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/blsampleabs.htm

FOUR BEGINNER EXERCISES: 2x through (10-15 repetitions per exercise); exhale on exertion.

1) Crunches: Lying on back, knees bent, feet on ground, and hands behind head. Lift chin up towards ceiling until there is slight shaking then back down. DO NOT BEND NECK!

2) Tuck-Ups: Lying on back in same crunch position; lift heels a few inches off ground and tuck knees up to chest while keeping back on ground; squeeze lower abs at top of motion.

3) Leg Twists: Lying on back; straighten legs above your body and twist legs over to one side while keeping back and hips on ground and slowly move legs to the other side. The straighter your legs are the more challenging it is, however you don’t have to move your feet all the way to the ground, it places a lot of stress on your back. Just go until your hips barely come off the ground.

4) Back Extension Leg lifts: Lying on stomach, place palms on ground by waist. Squeeze glutes and lower back to lift legs off ground while keeping your chin close to the ground for back control. Pause at top then lower legs back down.

Tips for Making a Healthy Lifestyle a Priority

Most individuals in today’s society have a job that is very demanding and involves hard work with many hours. They seem to focus on striving to achieve a lifestyle earning enough money to do whatever they want. Is this lifestyle conducive to the ideal life and true happiness? Can we all live like this forever and not have the mentality of health and exercise in our daily plan? The goal should be how to create a daily or weekly schedule that can make our minds and bodies feel good. This is very hard to do with the digital and technological era we live in today because it breeds inactivity. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there are more than 60% of adults that are overweight, and 1 in 3 of those are obese. The question to ponder is: How many overweight individuals look at their day and set aside at least a half hour to elevate their heart rate at a constant rate? Here are some ideas to prevent this situation from happening and to make exercise and health a top priority.

1. Create a weekly schedule that will lay out what type of exercise you are doing that day. In this schedule you can also include times for meditation and relaxation. If you are feeling very ambitious, you can write out each meal that you plan to eat. Most people have more time to organize and plan on the weekends, so the beginning of the week is the best time to start your weekly schedule.

2. Try to get your workouts done earlier in the day to prevent the onset of fatigue by the end of the day. Mentally and physically it is very hard to get a solid workout in if you have had a busy day. By working out in the morning, it is done, and does not sit in the back of your mind all day.

3. Find support of others to join you for a workout. Many people get more motivated when others expect them to be there and they are counting on them. By having a weekly workout schedule with someone, or maybe even one or two days, you have a stronger motivation to show up for a workout.

4. Write 5-10 minutes minimum for silence and/or meditation in your schedule. It is very easy to get caught up in the entertainment that we have today with television and video games. Take just 5-10 minutes to completely clear your mind and breathe deeply which can help alleviate stress. This can easily be done right before you go to sleep at night, just try not to fall asleep before you finish your meditation.

5. Make your meals on the weekends, then refrigerate or freeze and reheat them throughout the week. Daily work and family schedules can be overwhelming at times so it’s important to make time to get in good nutrients. The most nutritious and low fat fast food is made by you with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Include the basic food groups and consult www.mypyramid.gov for further details on what is necessary in a daily diet. Avoid fast foods, heavy meals at lunch time, and quick eating on the run.

The number one way to figure what we are doing to our health is to educate ourselves on what we are doing to our bodies. The best way to keep up with health and exercise is to plan, be aware of your body and find activities you enjoy!

Stay Moving to Burn Calories

Do you ever notice how much you fidget or move around when you are sitting in a meeting or watching television? Pay attention next time to see what you do and for how long you do it. It can be shaking a leg, twiddling your thumbs, or chewing gum. But if we think about it once again, when we sit down are we moving enough? The answer is no. In the United States we sit down too much and this has led our obesity numbers to shoot up over the past 15 years. In 1991, four states had 15–19 percent recognized as obese and no states had rates at or above 20 percent. In 2004, seven states had 15–19 percent recognized as obese; 33 states had rates of 20–24 percent; and nine states had rates more than 25 percent. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Overweight and obesity)

Active lifestyles are the key to reduce these levels of obesity in the United States. Many think that finding time to go to a gym is the only way to burn calories, this is not true. The amount that Americans sit down, driving to work in our cars, sitting down at a desk at work, and then sitting down in the evening to relax, is astounding. Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine has been studying this issue in depth. Dr. Levine believes that you can burn calories two ways. One way is by going to the gym, the other is in everyday life through NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). He has actually converted his desk area into a treadmill to walk very slowly while working. Dr. Levine stated on a CBS News Interview:

"Not necessarily getting on a treadmill, but being naturally more prone to be active. And so the question then becomes how can we translate this into everyday life? And here, we’re doing it now (walking slowly on treadmills together during the interview). We've converted your work time into an active time, and it's a matter of looking for those opportunities all our lives throughout the day."

Many of us overlook the opportunity to bike to work, park farther away to walk more, or to just keep moving and standing up frequently throughout the day. Dr. Levine stated in the interview that by just standing up our metabolic rate doubles. There are other ways besides a treadmill installation at our desks.

·        Sit on a fit ball with neutral alignment to use postural and stabilizing muscles to sit up straight.

·        Work in intervals (co-workers might find this interesting). Sit down to do a task, then walk around your chair several times or down a hallway.

·        Car Dancing! As long as you can pay attention to the road, if you spend a lot of time in the car, find some good music and dance away. You will be surprised how you will become tired pretty quickly.

·        Stay busy while watching television at night. Do laundry, dishes, cleaning, or even some stretching or sit-ups.

·        Continue to fidget and move your body any way you please. This can burn lots of calories so keep it up!

These are just a few options where you can be creative in your everyday lives. Just keep moving!

--Ted Romero

PEAK FORM TRAINER ACE Certified personal trainer / coach IFPA Nutrition Specialist YMCA Certified Cycling Instructor

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