BEYOND THE 6 PACK, WHAT IS "THE CORE?"

Core! Such a commonly used word in the rehab and fitness industries, but what exactly are we talking about when we use the word "core"? It's worth discussing how our perspective on the core has evolved over time and how we think of it now. This is a loaded subject - and it's often misunderstood! Health, vanity, digestion, pain, emotions, and breathing can all come up when we talk about it. To develop a more holistic understanding of the core (and to feel and look our best), we need to look at the breath, pelvic floor, nervous system, and full body movement (or lack of).

Chronic sitting, shoe-wearing, belly clenching/sucking in, stress, and various sedentary culture related postures all affect our core. A series of ab exercises or ab blaster videos aren’t going to get you the long term results you’re looking for if you're ignoring these other important factors.

There is a lot more to the core than just your six pack muscles. Your thoracic cavity, abdomen, and pelvic floor make up a pressure management system and we want to be managing our pressure well and train our cores to be reactive & responsive...not rigid and “tight”.

Rob and I talk about all things core including what parts of the body we consider to be a part of the core, some common issues we see, and offer some suggestions for how to start implementing some breathing exercises and simple movements to your life to get out of pain, feel better, and optimize core function. If you’re curious about your body and looking for some ideas, give it a listen!