the importance of core strength

One of the supposed pinnacles of fitness is to have 6 pack abs or a lean stomach, and to do that you gotta do a million a half sit ups or something crazy. (you don’t). having abs is GREAT but it is not the point or end all be all of fitness.

this is not a post about how to get abs, cause to be quite honest, I don’t have a 6 pack or any version of one. 6 packs are largely genetic and then come from a low amount of bodyfat (which means a pretty strict diet). And since I don’t have the abs like that I’m not gonna write about it.

this post is about is having a strong core… which you can have without a 6 pack and it is definitely something everyone should strive for. 

So what is core strength?

It is the strength of the underlying muscles of the torso. That is your stomach area muscles and your back muscles. Basically…the entire middle of your body is your core.

Why is core strength important?

SO MANY REASONS!

let me layout a few:

1.    helps prevents injuries – core strength creates core stability which means you’ll be safer moving throughout your workouts and life.
2.  protects your internal organs and nervous system – if you have a weak core, your body is more susceptible to harm, and one of the biggest part of your body is your spine and spinal cord. leaving the muscles that surround that highly important part of your body leaves it open for injury
3.   prevents back pain – legitimately the largest reason why I do so much core workouts. i injured my back a lot throughout middle school up through college playing goalkeeper in college which has definitely led to more back issues in my adult life. i threw my back out entirely… to the point that I was limping around work when I was TWENTY-FOUR. after that I did core strengthening workouts 2-4 times a week and I have not had any back pain since incorporating that into my training routine.
4.   helps posture – if you strengthen the entire middle of your body, you’ll be sitting up much stronger and taller.
5. improve your balance – as you build your core strength and your posture, you’ll be able to move easier throughout life and be able to stand up strong and fall over as easy as you would with no core strength.
6. perform life easier – you probably don’t realize that you use your core very often in your day to day… let me inform you that you do. you are (or at least should be) using your core muscles throughout your entire day and when you have a strong core your life will be easier.
7.  perform sports at a higher level – your core is where your power comes from. so it makes sense that as you strengthen those core muscles, you’ll be able to run faster, punch harder, and kick stronger.

okay! how do I get a stronger core??

good news! it’s not a bunch of sit ups. actually, I never do regular sit ups because they aren’t that great for you and also they hurt my lower back.

here are some exercises you should be incorporating into your workouts:

•   russian twist
•  plank
  • and plank variations
• heel taps
•  mountain climbers
• jack knives
•  toe taps
•  suitcase crunch
•  leg lifts
•  bird dogs
•  cable twists
•   glute bridges
•   turkish get ups

just to name a few 😊

need some help getting started? Follow me on Instagram and facebook where I post workouts and health and fitness articles every day!

want some more personalized training? Contact me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com or on my Instagram and facebook pages.

Any questions? Leave a comment below or send me a message on any of my pages!

WHAT IS: overtraining?

working out is great. obviously. but you can have too much of a good thing and that's where overtraining comes in. 

overtraining is basically working out too hard for too long. 

sometimes once people start working out they're afraid that if they stop... they won't start again. or sometimes it's just wanting to workout and lift everyday. or sometimes it's just people not realizing that you do actually need some sort of rest period. 

so let's start with the first thing- fear of stopping (and never starting back again). 

look, if you've started this working out process and you're committed to it...  you can take a day off. this will stop you from burning out of your exercise routine. burn out is when you have a mental and/or physical collapse due to overwork. it doesn't just effect your workouts, it can effect your life. and if you are noticing that you don't feel good after your workouts regularly, you may be at risk for burning out. and once you burnout, that's when it's harder to come back and get back on your training routine, because you'll eventually have to stop (because you hurt yourself or just life or whatever) and then you won't have the positive feelings regarding working out because you burned out.

enjoying lifting and/or working out everyday is a different kind of overtraining horse to tackle. cause yes, lifting is awesome. but also, if you want to get better and stronger you have to let you muscles recover. if your muscles never recover then you'll be more likely to hurt yourself. and you are less likely to be able to progress to heavy weights because your muscles are never getting the chance to rebuild.

and then there's just not realizing that you need a day to recover. let me tell you, you do. i wrote about it the importance of rest days HERE, so you can just look at that. 

but what if you don't want to have a day where you do nothing but sit on your butt all day? you don't have to do that! make your "rest" day whatever you want them to be. they can be taking walks or yoga or going on a hike or whatever you need it or want it to be. 

overtraining leads to burning out and injuries, so try your best to avoid doing it. 

i overtrained for A LONG TIME when i first started working out and i hurt my knees and hips and was just constantly tired. working out should give you energy, not totally drain you. and on top of that, not resting led to a weight loss plateau, too. so a solid zero benefits from working out nonstop. 

recently, i was trying to balance adding in a new lifting routine (for kettlebell sport) on top of my already real solid workout routine...it was WAY too much. i was nonstop exhausted and my lifting was getting weaker and weaker cause i wasn't giving myself anytime to recover. 

it's easier than you think to overtrain so keep tabs on yourself so your performance and life doesn't suffer in the long run. listen to your body and take care of yourself, y'all. 

have questions? follow me on instagram and facebook and drop me a message or leave a comment! 

HOW TO: sustainably diet

last week i wrote about WHY you should sustainably diet... this week i'm gonna give you the HOW. 

what exactly is a sustainable diet? 

under my definition, it is a diet that you are able to do for a long duration without burning out and without feeling restricted. 

and it will look different for everyone. for some people that will be a paleo diet, for some people a lower carb diet, and for others its just general portion control.

 so here's how you figure out what a sustainable diet looks like for you: 

1. figure out how you're currently eating and what needs to change. the easiest way to do that is to totally track your food for a few days (being sure to track at least one weekend day). maybe (most likely) you need to reduce your intake or maybe you snack more than you realized or drink high calorie juices or coffees and things you wouldn't usually think of. so knowing what you currently eat can help you to see the issues that may be causing the weight gain. 

2. figure out what is most important for you to keep in your diet for you to stick with it. is that getting to eat hella pasta or other carbs? or do you need your chocolate fix every night? know what is important to you so you can plan how you eat around those requirements to not feel restricted. 

3. which brings me to part 3... plan, plan, plan. at least at first make sure you are planning as much as you can so you don't go off track due to laziness. make yourself a menu, have your snacks portioned out, meal prep if that's something you need to do. make sure you have your plan in place so you can enjoy the foods you want to while also staying within whatever goals you've set for yourself successfully

4. have goals. clear cut, written, achievable goals. that could be staying within a calorie range or no sodas or no eating out during the week or no chips with lunch or eat a veggie at dinner or try a new fruit/veggie every couple of weeks. have set goals for each month that you can achieve and stick with them. 

5. and finally...if you slip up (and you will) don't let that run you off the rails. change takes time and you will make mistakes. and that is OKAY! but do not let that mistake turn into a whole day or week or whatever of going off track. 

so that's how you do it! make your plan and stick with it. eat your healthy foods and protein and enjoy your treats in moderation. 

you can do it! 

but if you need help/have questions/want some ideas follow me on facebook and instagram! send me a message or leave a comment with any questions!