Are You Really Strengthening Your Abs?

As a follow-up to my previous blog regarding Core, I would like to spend a little time on correct pelvic placement during abdominal strengthening.

Last week when I blogged about what defines the muscles of the core, I was not insinuating that abdominal strengthening is not important. It was simply to inform you on how much more goes into the definition of core.

That being said, abdominal strengthening is a popular request at the gym. Unfortunately, because body fat tends to accumulate around the stomach, it can also be one of the more difficult areas to tone. Often times, many individuals utilize improper form while performing abdominal exercises and end up disappointed when they fail to see results. Appropriate strengthening isn’t just about DOING the movement. It involves proper breathing and postural alignment, keeping the back and neck muscles relaxed and actually contracting your abdominal muscles.

Whether you are an avid athlete or a desk sitter, it is common for many individuals to be tight in the neck, lower back and hip flexors. That being said, tight muscles can also be excessively strong. This affects proper technique for abdominal strengthening because the stronger muscles might try to take over the movement. I cannot tell you how frequently I see abdominal exercises improperly performed in a gym.

So what does correct form look like? If your feet are on the ground, there might be a very small curve in your lower back. This is called neutral spine, and it is perfectly acceptable. However, once your legs are in the air, your spine needs to stay pressed into the mat. If this is not possible, raise your legs higher, or perform the exercise while keeping your knees bent.

Quality is better than quantity. Starting out with exercises that are too difficult (for your current level of fitness) or doing too many can cause back pain.  If you begin to feel back or neck strain you need to stop the exercise. This indicates that these muscles have begun to take over the movement, and the abdominals are no longer working. If you continue, you are actually training your back and neck to be even stronger than your abdominal muscles.

I hope to see you at a CORE class soon! See the Winter Fitness Schedule for details.

My Thoughts on Core

Core seems to be a buzzword in the fitness world today. There are many opinions on what defines the muscles of the core. I find many people think it is synonymous with abdominals. This is but one piece of the muscles that comprise your core. There are many more.

Your core consists of the muscles of the abdomen, back, pelvis and hips. Core strengthening provides the foundation to build upper/lower body strength, whether your primary goal is increasing your running endurance or preventing low back pain. Strengthening these parts of your body will help to provide proper balance and posture and prevent injury down the road and I am ALL ABOUT PREVENTION!

Those that have taken my CORE I class know that I feel as though EVERYONE should take CORE I for general injury prevention as well as for progressive strengthening into any training program. There isn’t a single person that wants to age and be sidelined with injuries. But yet it seems people don’t think about appropriate strengthening UNTIL they are injured. And then they want to be fixed – quickly. Often times the individual seeks rehabilitation and does get ‘fixed’ only to discontinue the exercises they were shown and eventually be sidelined again.

Here’s a secret: If more people performed preventative exercises, the amount of surgeries would decrease, painkillers and drug dispersion from pharmaceutical companies would decrease and the overall health of our population would get better. So why aren’t more people doing it?!

Consider this: Two common seasons for rotator cuff and/low back injuries are autumn and winter. Why? Raking and shoveling. It makes complete sense. If your core is not strong enough to handle the increased workload coming from your arms and/or your legs, you are certainly more at risk for injury. The same can be said for sport-specific training.

Let’s take running as an example. We sit with forward posture. We walk with forward posture. Now add running to that…more forward posture. What are you doing to counterbalance all of that forward posture? Specifically, back strengthening. And if this makes sense…do you really know WHAT to do?

I have had many individuals come in and out of my CORE I class. I still receive strange looks when I tell an individual to swap their 8 lb dumbbells for some 3 lb ones. This usually comes from people that consider him or herself strong or have a history of working out, attending classes, etc. I’m certainly not trying to insult them. I am just very aware that the muscle groups we work are usually NOT STRONG in the majority of people. I will admit I receive a great amount of JOY watching the core strength of consistent class participant’s increase. Nothing makes me happier as I know they have created a foundation of strength that will prevent injuries and allow them to perform a variety of activities they otherwise wouldn’t be able to perform.

I would love to write about all of the exercises I consider to be essential to core strengthening but I would rather you come to a CORE I class and see for yourself!

Melissa’s Journey to a New Self – January 2012, Entry #2: Getting Back on Track

Are you feeling lousy about yourself following your regrettable holiday splurge(s)? And perhaps you’re thinking that beating yourself up for overindulging is part of the cure? It does seem as though our culture has a knack for fueling our thoughts with negative affirmations as a tactic to rein in our poor eating choices or habits. In fact, I think many ‘dieters’ do believe this – but it is incredibly backwards. All of that self-criticism – calling yourself fat and other mean, nasty names – is really setting you up for emotional eating. Whereas positive affirmations can help create self-compassion and can be utilized as strategy for decreasing emotional eating and helping to prevent a downward eating spiral. 

Melissa provides an excellent example for moving forward after the holidays and looking not at what she’s DONE but what she is GOING TO DO: 

“I have decided the holidays are evil. I know that’s a strong statement but think about it for a second.  It’s all about people getting together and indulging in foods that you don’t normally make or eat but that are very YUMMY. Then you tell yourself, “Oh, I’ll just have one.”  Does anyone just have one cookie? Or one bite of those delicious dips?  I sure don’t!  The yummier foods are the more I tend to eat.  That’s why I know I have to limit the availability of those foods in my house.  During the holidays, it’s very hard to avoid those foods when visiting family and friends. Plus, you are so busy visiting, it’s hard to fit in exercise. This is why I consider them wicked, at least to some one that is trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“By now you realize the holiday’s did not go well for my healthier routine. But, I am now trying to get back on the right track. My goal is to exercise at least three times a week. Last week I exercised only once. It’s been hard to get back into the routine. I keep telling myself “just do it.”  (I am not trying to advertise for sneakers.) I plan to do Core twice this week and a 5k on the treadmill once. Now it’s out there – I have no choice but to just do it!

“As for eating it’s a similar situation. I am educated on what I should eat and I know the foods I like that are healthier. So really, I have to just do it. Why does it sound so easy when in fact it is not easy at all?  I guess if I was robot it would be easy – there would be no emotional eating, no eating when I am bored or tired, I would just eat to sustain life.  Although, robots don’t eat do they?  Well, maybe oil?  Okay my imagination is getting the best of me.  Anyway, I just have to eat healthier and not overeat.

“Okay I am off to the store to pack my fridge full of healthy foods! I really am going to just do it this week! Who’s with me?”

Fitness Following Festivities

Post holiday fitness is a necessity because of all the heavy eating that is generally done over Christmas and New Year's. Working off those aggravating winter pounds is also made difficult because of the bad weather. The weather tends to keep you indoors, where the exercise options are limited. Being indoors during the winter does not need to be counterproductive to your post holiday exercise goals. Winter activities such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing allow you to remain outdoors to work off those pounds. The biggest challenge to post holiday fitness will come from the mind. You have to motivate yourself to get back in shape after weeks of binging on calorie-loaded festive food.

Winter temperatures and snow shouldn’t prevent you from working to shed those excess pounds. You can still get an effective workout indoors. If you live in a house or an apartment building, you can run the stairs, though even walking them will provide a good workout. With the physical intensity involved with running the stairs, you are sure to burn off a sizable amount of calories. This kind of exercise provides you with an effective cardio workout that is good for your goal of shedding pounds. Try the new “72” class at New Self if you question whether this is a workout!

Knowing that holiday weight gain is a common problem should help you to feel a little bit better about your predicament. But you need to make a specific plan! If you are not a regular gym attender, making a plan to go to the gym seven days a week may not be reasonable. Make a plan that is realistic so that you aren’t setting yourself up for failure.

Because you’re not alone in this desire to work off holiday pounds, it might be easier to find a workout buddy during this time. Reach out to a friend, relative or co-worker to see if he or she would like to exercise with you several times a week. This helps with accountability. It’s much more difficult to skip a workout when you know you are supposed to meet someone. Post holiday workout buddies are especially helpful because they are usually motivated by the same goals.

To break out of an exercise rut or to spice up your post holiday workout, try a new exercise activity. Take a Zumba or Piyo class, plan a spring race, go hiking in a scenic location, or invest in a personal trainer to create a home exercise program. Adding variety to your workout routine will help take your mind off of the weight gain, but still keep you motivated to work out on a regular basis.

Melissa’s Journey to a New Self – January 2012, Entry #1

You may have already heard about the New Self team's success in the Madison's Biggest Loser contest this past fall, but in case you haven’t, let me fill you in. During the course of the 12 weeks, our five contestants lost a total of 235.75 pounds and placed fourth in the overall contest. I’m so proud of all of our Biggest Losers and enjoyed working with such a wonderful, motivated group of people. You can see everyone's results here.

As she continues her weight loss journey into a new year, one of our team members has agreed to share her story with us over the course of the next few months. Melissa is a 33-year-old, stay-at-home mother of two who is on a mission to make serious changes in her life, not only for her own health and well-being, but also to set a good example for her kids. We hope her story inspires you, as it has us:

“I have been overweight my whole adult life, and have been on many diets and tried different fads to lose weight.  In recent years, I realized I need to change my eating and exercise habits to lose weight. I am a stay-at-home mom of a one-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, who keep me very busy. I know getting in better shape will help me to keep up with them. I also want to be healthier so I can live longer and be around for my family for a very long time.

“Last summer, I began to attend a group to help me with those goals. I started to exercise and lost about ten pounds. Then I decided to sign up for the Madison’s Biggest Loser competition at New Self last fall. I was one of the lucky people that got picked. In the three months of the competition I lost another 53 pounds. I did not win the Biggest Loser competition, but the weight I lost, the confidence I gained and the insight it gave me into my eating habits made it a win for me.

“My hope is to lose at least a hundred more pounds. I am taking it one day and one work out at a time. I am so happy to be a part of New Self and to share this journey with all of you. Sharing my story helps make me accountable to my goals. Each week I hope to share my struggles and triumphs with the hope that it inspires someone else to make a difficult change in his or her life. I invite you to join me in my journey to a new self and I hope it inspires your own journey.”

As you can see, Melissa’s story is about more than the same annual New Year’s resolution so many make on January 1. She has embarked on a full-blown lifestyle change and it’s been exciting to be a part of her journey. Check back weekly for more insight from Melissa as she presses on into a new year.

If you are ready to embark on a life-changing journey of your own, don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear your story, too.

The Story Behind Wellness Coaching at New Self

Through the years I have worked with a variety of people on a variety of goals. Whether the goals were weight loss, rehabilitation or trying to understand a pattern of emotional eating – all brought me to the same conclusion: our wellness involves far more than our satisfaction with the physical self. All of us carry special “baggage” and our own personal history. It is impossible to have a “cookie cutter” program for individuals when it comes to helping someone balance the facets of life. Different individuals have different needs.

Wellness coaching involves working as a team to explore your satisfaction within the realms of wellness and work to balance various areas of your life. The designation of Certified Wellness Practitioner allows me to combine my education and experience to provide ongoing support and guidance as we set goals and make sustainable changes that improve your health and happiness. I hope you will consider scheduling an initial consultation with me and make 2012 a year of wellness!