What's On My Mind - April 2024
What’s On My Mind
What’s On My Mind
Core Bracing
This Month’s Health Challenge
Improve Your Pre-Sleep Routines
What’s On My Mind
Bracing Your Core
How much attention and effort do you actually put into bracing your core during your workouts?
Most people simply rely on what their body “naturally” does to create stability in their core when exercising and instead put all their focus on other aspects of technique, how challenging the workout is, etc. I put the word “naturally” in quotes because as adults our movement patterns have strayed away from optimal as we’ve lived our lives with modern comforts like chairs, sofas, overbuild shoes, etc. What was natural when we were young was unlearned and what may feel natural now may be far from how our bodies have evolved to work.
Although every world class coach and athlete preaches the importance of bracing your core it took me 7 years and 4 significant back injuries to finally get motivated enough to take a course with a specific focus on core bracing…and it changed everything. Not only did I not understand how to brace my core correctly, but I had no idea of the level of effort and attention that it actually required.
These days, it has been more than 8 years since my last back issue. Core bracing is still my #1 priority in my workouts and were about 90% of my effort and attention goes in my workouts. These amounts drastically differ from my estimate of what most gym-goers are doing. I think most 1) don’t know how to brace their core correctly and 2) don’t put any effort into it during workouts…especially when workouts get challenging (which is when you need it the most!).
Core strength is not about your 6-pack and you do not develop real core strength by doing sit-ups. Interested in how to develop core strength? Check out my article: Become Advanced by Actually Focusing on Bracing Your Core. Developing the ability to brace properly changed everything for me.
This Month’s Health Challenge
Improve Your Pre-Sleep Routine
The Benefits of a Synched Circadian Rhythm are profound. With thousands of internal clocks, your body is constantly trying to determine what time of day it is, so that it can release the right hormones at the right time. By implementing habits throughout the day in a way that helps your body correctly understand the time, your sleep quality can improve tremendously. Some of my go-to, habitual, pre-sleep rituals include lowing the temperature of my home, diming lights, and wearing blue light blocking glasses starting around sunset. Sticking to a consistent eating window, not having caffeine after noon, and not drinking alcohol also help my body know what time of day it is and boost my sleep quality. You may or may not feel a big impact of any one of these things, but all together they can have an immense impact.
Quote of the Month
“Based on the science, you can make somewhat clear statements: The number of people who can survive on six hours of sleep without impairment is zero.”
-Dr. Matthew Walker
