Get to core of your problem
Q:My doctor says that I will have less back pain, more upper body strength and better posture if I strengthen my core. Can you explain what core strength is, how to get it and why it matters?
– Phil T., Atlanta
Your core is the center of your strength and well-being. It’s composed of multiple muscle groups that are connected to your spine, pelvis and hips. That’s why core strength – or lack of it – plays a role in everything from balance and the motion of your upper body and spine to the development of problems with back pain, urination and defecation, and even orgasm.
When you strengthen your core, you also reduce visceral belly fat and bodywide inflammation that’s associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. You’ll improve your golf and pickle ball swing and reduce the wear and tear that comes from sitting at a desk and in front of a computer for hours a day. You’ll avoid lower back pain and shoulder and neck aches.
Waking up your core and strengthening core muscle groups can be done at the gym or at home.
Step 1: Meet your core muscles. Standing or lying flat on your back with your legs extended, place your hands gently on your stomach below your rib cage. Breathe in and tighten your stomach and side muscles from ribs to groin. Keep your shoulders back. Hold for a count of 10-30. Repeat three times.
Step 2: Practice core-tightening while walking. With eyes forward, shoulders back and down, back straight, walk for 100 steps with your stomach muscles contracted, breathing naturally. Once you get the hang of it, use this technique whenever and wherever you walk.
Step 3: It’s beneficial to do core strengthening exercises daily, according to Harvard Medical School. Try the modified plank; dead bug; opposite leg and arm raise; clamshell, bridge, and
A:one-leg balance tests. Examples are available at ClevelandClinic.org; search for core exercises.
I find it hard to stay in shape in the winter, between the cold and dark and the tempting foods. Any tips to battle the January bulge?
– Katie R., Rochester, New York
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center in your hometown, folks gain 1 to 3 pounds every winter because of changes in sleep patterns, getting less exercise, overindulgence in sweet treats and excess alcohol. And many people don’t lose it when the weather warms up -- so over a decade, they can pack on 10 to 30 extra pounds!
Job number one is to set up a winter nutritional plan that lets you enjoy tasty foods that don’t fuel weight gain. Look for recipes like Daphne Oz’s roasted butternut squash soup with coconut milk and the ones in Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook.”
When it comes to staying active, you want to find routines that inspire and delight you. For some folks, tuning into online classes is motivating. Hooking up with an exercise buddy for “appointment workouts” at the gym can also help you stick to a weekly routine (aerobics at least five days a week and strengthtraining two days).
In addition, the changing amount of sunlight can disrupt your sleep cycle and too much or too little sleep can fuel weight gain and depression. It’s important to stick to a sleep schedule – bed at 10 up at 6? – weekdays and weekends. Don’t get lethargic when it’s dark at 4:30 p.m.; do a 10-minute walk after your last food of the evening.
As for holiday foods and drink: try allowing yourself a once-a-week treat (spiked egg nog and dessert or prosecco and creamy pasta). Then stick with a healthier diet the rest of the week.
If you make an effort to have a healthy winter, you will sail into spring with a more positive outlook, a spring in your step, and a lot more time living life without illness or disability.
Roizen is the founder of longevityplaybook.com, and Oz is global advisor to iHerb.com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.
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