The Importance of Working Your Core Muscle

Suppose that at a distance you see a short, stooped figure walking with short, slow steps. Most likely, you will conclude that the person is old. The hunched posture gives you the clue.

Why does aging contort so many bodies in this way? The reason is that many people, throughout their lives, never extend the neck to its full range, and so the muscles shorten. Long hours of reading, sewing, typing, or standing at a workbench take their toll. Eventually deposits of calcium salts in the joints complete the process of immobilization. Once this calcification takes place, nothing can be done to reverse it.

Fortunately, older persons can take action before it is too late. The best action is regular exercise that stretches the muscles and improves flexibility, with special considerations on the core muscles. This kind of response is relatively important for a number of factors that when taken for granted will only lead to serious health problems.

What Are Core Muscles?

Core muscles pertain to the muscles found at the obliques, abdominals, lower back, and the glutes. These four areas of the body are the ones that usually frame the posture of a person. Hence, a good posture reflects the good condition of these muscle areas.

What people do not know is that core muscles are actually the “core” or the central part for all the strength that is needed to boost carry out different physical activities. This only means that if an individual’s core muscle is physically powerful, it will maintain equilibrium on the body and will stabilize the system every time the person is working out and moving.

Strengthening Core Muscles

The main responsibility of the core muscles is to provide enough power to the body in order to enable it to cope up with the dynamic challenges of every physical activity that a person encounters.

For this reason, many health and fitness experts have realized that it is relatively important to strengthen the core muscles than with the other muscles in the body. Through some series of experiments and research, they have found out that having a stronger core can lessen a lot of health problems concerning posture.

For instance, a well-conditioned core muscle can project good posture. It can also improve the endurance of the back all the way through the day.

Why? Because muscles that are included in the group of core muscles are actually the ones that initiate the proper stabilization of the whole upper and lower torso.

So, for those who wish to know and understand why it is important strengthen the core muscles, here is a list of some of the benefits that you can use as references:

1. Strengthening core muscles will improve posture and prevent low back pain of the muscular origin.

This means that as you incorporate stretching exercises in your routine, taking a particular focus on the muscles of the upper and front part of the trunk, including the abdominal and trunk muscles, the activity has the tendency to strengthen the muscles of the back that extend to the spine.

2. It will help tone the muscles, thereby, avoiding further back injury

Exercising your core muscles will strengthen and tones your lower back muscles and buttocks while stretching the hip flexors and the muscles on the front of the thighs.

Achieving this state will deter you from any serious lower back injury.

3. Improves physical performance

Exercising the core muscles with slow, static stretching is just as effective in relieving stiffness and enhances flexibility. Once the flexibility of a person has improved, it follows that he will be able to perform his physical activities at a better state.

4. They do not cause sore aching muscles

Static stretching for core muscles is best for the muscles and connective tissues. And because it employs slow stretches only, it will not cause any soreness, as do the quick, bouncing exercises that rely on jerky muscle contraction.

5. Lengthen muscles and avoid unbalanced footing as you get old

Core muscle exercises lengthen the muscles that have contracted as a result of pain. It also prevents pain from vigorous exercise if they are included at the end of each workout.

Health and fitness experts highly recommend starting core work out immediately and repeating the routine at least 2 times a week. The process can be done after the workout or even during the activity, for about 10 to 20 minutes only.

Indeed, core muscles are absolutely important in determining the good posture of the body. Strengthening them can absolutely eliminate those nuisances of back pains.

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Fast and Easy Weight Loss Solutions

Obesity has become one of the biggest banes of modern times. If it's not unhealthy junk food and sugary drinks tempting you, it's 24-hour programming that has you glued to the TV set and fixed on the couch. Add to that sedentary jobs, video games and general lack of physical activity and you have a recipe for disaster!
But if you're determined to cut excess fat out of your life, let me tell you it's easier than you think. All you need to do is put your mind to it and make a few simple lifestyle changes. To get you started on the path to weight loss, I'll let you in on some slimming secrets that have worked for me:

Lose weight naturally

The first and most important decree of weight loss is to focus on finding healthy and natural weight loss solutions. Popping slimming pills or starting a crash diet in a desperate attempt to lose weight can cause serious health problems. But at times, restricting the consumption of certain food groups becomes necessary to lose body fat. If you find yourself in such a situation, look for diet programs that are wholesome, healthy and provide you adequate nutrition.

Increase water intake

Water intake plays a crucial role in losing weight. Water is believed to quicken the weight loss process as it boosts metabolism and flushes out toxins from the body. So, drinking plenty of water every day is a non-negotiable rule of weight loss. Consume at least 8-10 large glasses of water every day, if not more.

Have a water bottle at hand all the time and keep sipping from it every few minutes. You can squeeze a bit of lemon or dip some herbal/green tea bags in lukewarm water for variation.

Eat healthy

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that permanent weight loss is impossible without eating healthy.

How does one maintain a healthy, nutritious diet? Here are some simple dos and don'ts:
• Say no to junk, fried and sugar-loaded foods as well as colas.
• Include lots of vegetables, fruit and legumes in your diet.
• Have small, frequent meals and never skip breakfast.
• Avoid late dinners and mid-night snacking.
• As far as possible, prepare your own meals.
• If you socialize regularly, eat before you leave.
• Avoid pre-prepared or packaged meals, bars and shakes.
• Choose whole grains instead of refined; lean meat in place of regular; substitute full-fat dairy with low-fat.

If you are on a structured weight loss program, it will have its own set of eating regulations. Make sure you follow the instructions of the program to the letter if you want to reach your goal.

Exercise regularly

You can try as many weight loss solutions as you want, but nothing will work unless you make regular exercise an integral part of your life. Most weight loss and fitness experts agree 30 minutes of exercise is necessary to not just lose weight, but also to maintain optimal body weight. Thirty minutes of jogging, cycling, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, or whichever form of exercise you find interesting and stimulating can do wonders for your body. Exercise also releases the "feel good" hormone endorphin into the blood stream, making one feel energized and happy. Additionally, make it a habit to take stairs instead of elevators and escalators and walk wherever possible.

Sleep Well

Sleeping is believed to be associated with the production of appetite inducing and repressing hormones. Inadequate sleep elevates the level of appetite stimulating hormone. At the same time, it lowers the level of appetite repressing hormone leading to pangs of hunger in people who don't get enough sleep. Sleeping is also the time when your body rejuvenates and repairs. A good night's sleep prepares your body for the challenges of the next day!

None of the slimming secrets I shared above can be termed "secret" in the strictest sense of the term. These are things we are all well aware of, but choose to overlook for various reasons. It just takes a little bit of grit and determination to make these practices a part of your life. The result, I promise, will show for itself!

Jason is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. He has made the journey from an out of shape 180-pounder to a 155-pound lean machine. The transformation was made possible by the weight loss program he started a few years ago and ever since then, he doesn't spare any opportunity to spread the good word around for these structured weight loss plans.

He lives in New York with his wife of two years. His other interests include traveling and painting. He has painted over 50 beautiful landscapes while visiting foreign countries and he plans on opening an art gallery in New York at the end of the year to display his artwork.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_K_Ramirez

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