Hello! Welcome to Reignite Health, Bokz the Bio here happy and ready to educate you more on health topics. In this blog I would like to answer the question: Is the core only in the front of the body??
I will cut straight to the point and say no… The core is not only in the front of the body. It is in the back, the sides, the front, the top, and the bottom. I wish to bring this to your attention because I find that there is a huge societal influence on getting a “flat stomach and ready for the summer abs” instead of “building a strong core to improve posture, breathing, and stability”. You see, having flat stomach and nice abs, does not always mean that your core is strong, it just means you have a flat stomach and nice abs. Changing your focus to building core stability first before working towards the flat stomach will ensure you get both a strong core and a flat stomach. This is switching your thought process from “look great for the summer” to “be holistically healthy and reap the benefits of looking great too”.
So then, what exactly is the core?
The core is a term for a group of muscles that can be found in the centre of our bodies. These muscles’ main role is to stabilize the pelvis and the spine and promote proper lower back posture. The core also plays a role in taking the load off the spine; and it assists in transferring forces/energy from the upper body to the lower body and vice versa. These muscles surround, and protect, our organs that aid in digestion and reproduction (stomach, liver, pancreas, small and large intestines, bladder, uterus, etc.). I think of the core as a house with the muscles making up the floor, the sides and the roof of the house and our organs situated inside.
Let’s name the muscles that make up the house:
1. The roof is the Diaphragm
The Diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that separates the lungs and the heart from the organs that aid in digestion and reproduction. This muscle is known as our breathing muscle. It contracts when we breathe in and relaxes when we breathe out. So, when we breathe in it contracts creating more space in the chest cavity allowing the lungs to expand and fill with oxygen that our body can then use. When it relaxes it goes back to a dome shape helping the lungs push all the used air out thus allowing more oxygen to be absorbed when we take our next breath.
2. The floor is known as the Pelvic Floor
The Pelvic Floor sits in between our pelvis forming a bowl that holds our bladder and reproductive organs. These muscles are especially important in helping us hold in our urine and feces, when needed, thus preventing incontinence or unwanted release of digested food and drinks. Our buttock muscles also form part of our core.
3. The back wall is next. There are a group of back muscles that form part of the core but the important one to note is the Erector Spinae and the Multifidus.
The Erector Spinae is a posture muscle that runs from our pelvis, all the way up, adjacent to our spine and attaches to our skull. This muscle helps us stay upright when we are standing and sitting. The Multifidus is attached to the bony parts of the spine known as the vertebrae and it allows more movement between each vertebra which gives the ability to bend and twist with ease without injuring our spine.
4. The front of our house consists of the Rectus Abdominis that is seen as our six pack when trained well and the Transversus Abdominis.
The Transversus Abdominis is the main stabilizer of the core, and it insists in our breathing abilities as well as preventing lower back pain. This is one core muscle that starts in the front and wraps all the way around to the back of the house.
5. Then, on the sides of our house just above the Transversus Abdominis is the internal and external Abdominal Oblique muscles.
These muscles help complete the house.
That is everything I would like to tell you about the core. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can find my details below and on the website; as well as on Facebook and YouTube at Reignite Health. Remember… Be holistically healthy and reap the benefits of looking great too.
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Wishing you a lovely week ahead. Chat soon.
Bokz the Bio
Everybody has the ability to take control of their own health
Email: bmbio@reignitehealth.co.za