Best Fitness Blog

... by Karli Taylor

First and foremost, there is a distinct difference between our abs and our core. Our "abs", or what we refer to as our abs is actually one muscle- our rectus abdominus muscle. It is one small part of the whole area between our rib cage and our pelvis that we know as our "core". I will delve into that at a later date, but for now let’s talk about that six-pack, washboard or whatever other name you may have for it.

This may be the area of the body where we as fitness enthusiast make the most mistakes in training. Let’s go through a few basic ground rules for training our abs -

• More is not better! Your rectus abdominus is made up of fast twitch muscle fibers. So what you say? Well that means that it responds best to low reps- yup LOW REPS- like 8-10 at a time. So much for those devices that allow you to do 100 crunches without straining your neck...POINTLESS. Your best bet is to do 3 or 4 sets of 8-12 crunches for your 6 pack. That's it. You can train your deeper core muscles after these surface ones are tired- but that’s a whole discussion in itself!
• Abdominal training should always come LAST. Some people think that you should train your abs first while they are "fresh" in order to get the best results. It’s ok if that’s the only thing you are training that day, but if you are doing another body part- do that first. Your abs provide structural support for other exercises. If you tire them out, you will not be able to perform your best and may hurt yourself in the process.
• You CANNOT spot reduce. If you have excess fat in your abdomen, you can't just train your abs! This excess fat will burn off more efficiently if you train your whole body and add some intense cardio- BUT
• Diet is the key. No matter what you are doing in the gym, the only way to really get definition in your middle is by watching what you put in your mouth. Eating smaller meals often throughout the day will help turn your keg into a 6 pack!

I know that I have thrown a lot of info at you, and you may have some questions. Feel free to ask away!

I am willing to bet that you are sitting in front of a computer right now... by Karli Taylor

OK, so it was a pretty safe guess, but there was a reason that I pointed that out today. As technology becomes greater, our fitness levels become weaker. Today, most of our labor force is working in front of a computer, which can lead to success for your career but problems with your body. Working in an office can be very stressful and can keep you away from the gym. This can and will lead to even bigger problems down the road. Some of the biggest problems that occur when sitting in a desk day in and day out can take time to manifest, but when it happens, it can make everyday life very uncomfortable. One of the biggest problems that will occur due to prolonged sitting in front of a computer is neck pain either with or without related tension headaches.

Statistics show that most people will have a minor neck problem at one time or another. Neck problems and injuries most commonly occur not during sports or vigorous activities, but typically during work-related tasks, projects around the home or simply poor posture.

Neck pain may feel like a kink, stiffness or severe pain. Pain may spread to the shoulders, upper back or arms, and it can cause headaches. Neck movement may be limited, usually more to one side than the other.

Sitting at your desk everyday for eight hours leaning over with your head forward puts a severe amount of stress on your cervical vertebrae. Every inch your head is over the mid-line (head mid-line is the imaginary line from your ear to your shoulder) is eight pounds of pressure on your neck!

An easy way to counteract this, aside from being conscious of your posture, is to spend 1 minute three times a day in the following position:

Stand with your back against a wall. Make sure your bottom, the back of your head and your shoulders are touching the wall. Sound easy? Try it. If you have the beginning of an issue, this posture will be uncomfortable for you to hold!

Also, invest in a chair that fits you. Make sure that your computer screen is at the level of your eyes when you look straight ahead, not up or down. Take 5 minute standing breaks throughout your day, and try to stretch your chest, shoulders and neck whenever you start to feel like your head is getting heavy.

Are you sitting up straighter now?

Slouching and Posture ... by Karli Taylor

Growing up, we all heard, “Stand up straight,” but why is posture so important? Well, forget about the fact that proper posture can help an aching neck and back. Don't even consider the importance of posture in injury prevention and sports performance. And who cares about slowing down or even halting the development of arthritis or osteoporosis? What if you were to tell you that your posture is the easiest thing to change to make yourself appear instantly more attractive and confident?

Whether the health angle or the vanity angle got your attention, posture is something that we as a society truly need to focus on more often!

Almost everything we do is in front of us. Now with that said, here's a sure recipe for disaster: add a tiny forward lean with a touch of gravity, and you have a condition called slouching (a.k.a. poor posture). This bad habit repeated constantly over a long period of time will result in a poorly aligned body with many muscle imbalances. As a result, undue stress is placed on the bones, joints, ligaments and muscles of your body. Thus, bad posture is not only an aesthetic problem affecting appearance, but it can also give rise to discomfort, pain and/or disability.
 
Are you slouching???