Ten Reasons To Strengthen Your Core

What does the core do? Why is it so important?
A strong core stabilizes, and protects your spine. Professional, and recreational athletes with weak core muscles don’t perform optimally, and are more susceptible to injury.

People with physically demanding jobs that require lifting, moving, pushing or pulling, depend on a strong core to stabilize and protect their spine from eventual dysfunction, and subsequent injury, or chronic back pain.  Over 80 percent of all Americans have had, or will have, at least one episode of low back pain during their lifetime.

Where is the core located?
The human torso is where the core muscles and bones are found, right between your shoulders and hips.

The Core Region Covers Half Your Body 
The core region contains muscles and bones.  If you map it out, you’ll find your core muscles, on your abdomen, low back, pelvis and hips.  Core bones consist of your spinal column, pelvis and hip joints.

Ten Good Reasons To Strengthen Your Core

  1. To save a trip to the emergency room.
  2. To save time, and money on doctor’s fees, rehab, or surgery.
  3. To avoid chronic low back pain.
  4. To prevent, or rehabilitate an injury.
  5. To improve your ability to generate force and movement during sports.
  6. To avoid on-the-job injury.
  7. To acquire more efficient movement, spinal flexibility and strength.
  8. To improve balance.
  9. To improve physical fitness.
  10. To prevent an overuse injury.

Copyright 2014 Irene Pastore and Tour De Core Personal Training

Good Posture vs. Bad Posture

Picture A shows a normal spine.  B, C, and D show poor posture.

WHAT IS GOOD POSTURE?

When you have good posture, your body is straight, with the ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in a straight line.

WHY IS GOOD POSTURE IMPORTANT?

Muscles work as a team.  When you have good posture, your muscles are balanced, and keep your spine in proper alignment.  You feel healthy, and look good.

Muscle imbalance occurs when some muscles are stronger because you use them more often, while others are weak because you use them less.

If the muscles supporting your spine are weak, you’ll eventually experience muscle spasm, neck and back pain. Spinal misalignment also contributes to inefficient breathing.  Without proper exercise to bring the spine into its neutral position, these conditions get worse.

Muscle balance creates good posture, prevents injury, backache, spasms, and neck pain.  Good posture enhances self-esteem.

RETURN TO LIFE

In his book, Return To Life, published in 1945, Joseph Pilates wrote about the problems caused by spinal misalignment, lack of exercise, poor breathing habits, and the harmful effects of modern living on human health.   The same problems prevail today, if not more so.  The pace of life is fast, our society is sedentary, we overeat, and don’t exercise enough.

“Physical fitness is the first requisite for happiness” – Joseph Pilates

Copyright 2013 Irene Pastore and Blue Moon Personal Training