Core – What holds you up?

About ten years ago, I decided to follow an interest I had since childhood – I was going to learn how to surf. Not only was I going to learn this graceful dance with the ocean, I was going to conquer the East AND West coast too. Pretty ambitious for a Midwesterner with a day job and three kids constantly at her side. Our family had the good fortune to spend a week in North Carolina, sharing a large beach house. There I rented my first stand up paddle board. I didn’t take lessons, but the ocean and its unpredictable waves are quite a challenge. We switched to calm waters between the island and mainland, and found a happy medium. The kids and cousins of all ages piled on the board and made their way from kneeling to standing. They took turns commanding their flotilla. I was hooked instantly, knowing that I could use the SUP without waves. This would enable me to continue my paddling back home where lakes abound, but continuous waves do not.

Later that summer, my family visited the old stomping grounds in the Pacific North West. There I signed up for a surf lesson north of Seaside in Indian Beach. The instructor was a woman my age. She was married and had kids, but traveled the world surfing. She went by the moniker “Wild Woman” and started surfing competitively in Australia in her thirties. This was beyond my imagination for freedom within my responsibilities. She promised to get me up on the board.

Now I want to preface this lesson to say I am fairly fit. I was running a 5K on a regular basis and did yoga several times a week. I thought I could handle running in the ocean with a surf board, tucking my legs underneath me and lifting myself above to catch a wave. I had also body surfed every summer since childhood. This should be a snap. I was a natural.

I left the surf shop with enough neoprene to cover everything except my eyes. It seems the Pacific Ocean is colder than other bodies of water, and I underestimated its strength. We practiced the maneuvers on the beach and then ventured into the icy waters. One observation, it’s harder to manage the tuck and glide when the waves come from all directions. It’s also difficult to keep your body going where you want when it’s shivering. Full disclosure, I hardly got up for ten seconds, even under Wild Woman’s careful guidance. My family watched while playing on the beach, collecting the odd sea gifts of shells and driftwood.  They built castles in the chilly sand, and didn’t notice (or mention) my struggle.

Regardless, I surfed the East and West coast that summer. I did not conquer, but I tried and my idea of surfing changed. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the core strength needed to get up on the board, I didn’t have the time and practice needed to adjust to the new setting. Even with a great coach there are limits to what one can learn in an afternoon. My location for learning to surf was incongruent with my idea of riding the waves. I happened to pick a particularly harsh and demanding course to learn from. I should have picked warmer waters and learned over a week. My core wasn’t weak, my plan was not adequate. There is more to this core thing than I thought.

What is core strength to you?

The core can reveal what your insides are made of. Not just the fleshy parts, but the sustenance that keeps you standing and helps you face each day. The Core includes three influencers: Practice time, Good Coaching, and Location.

1. Your core is constantly working to keep you upright. Keeping your spine aligned takes an active body, even when standing or sitting watching television. Awareness of how well you tuck in your tummy and stand perpendicular can to build core strength. You could do endless sit-ups and run 3 miles a day, but one simple way to increase core strength anywhere is to employ healthy posture. It is hard to self regulate your posture. You could walk around balancing a book on your head, but that’s not practical on a bus or on a crowded sidewalk. That’s where our number 2 tip comes in: coaching.

2. Coaching – There are many technology products on the market to help you improve your health. Most phones and watches have a pedometer, for example, that can track how active you are during the day by counting your steps. Others tell you how often you have a good sleep or even how to regulate your moods, but I hadn’t seen one that identifies good posture before.

Good Posture is the key to maintaining a strong core, but it also has many other benefits. In a research study at the University of Ohio used a meta-cognition mechanism to identify feelings of confidence with standing tall versus self-doubt found in slouched individuals. Basically, if you have good posture, you will be perceived as being more confident, and you will feel more confident. Check out this article on the benefits of good posture.  And this one. If you slouch you will feel self-doubt and will appear that way to others.

The later studies also show that your body language influences your thoughts and hormones. If you stand straight these improve and become positive.
I recently found a product that provides biofeedback on how well I stand. I purchased the Lumo Lift, because I was experiencing back pain common to people who spend a considerable amount of time at a computer. (Hello, modern society!) This button attaches to whatever clothes you wear resting under your collar bone. I press of the device when standing straight to align the monitor, and it buzzes gently when you slouch.

The first day wearing it was eye -opening. As I slouched the thing buzzed at my chest while I crouched over my computer at work. It reminded me to self-correct and straighten. My back muscles tightened in places I forgot existed and it felt awkward at first.

Research from the University of Ohio showed that people who stood straight had more confidence. I found at first that standing tall made me feel rude or imposing (I don’t know why – it’s silly I know) but I soon understood that standing straighter made no difference in my interactions with coworkers and friends. My back felt better, and I had a better sense of my own body’s strength.

Research also claims that people with good posture also experience higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear. Although I have nothing specific to claim, I have to say using the Lumo Lift was positive and (hee hee- I love puns) uplifting.

The slight buzz reminded me to hold myself up, and it recreated this habit. I wore the button for a week straight and felt other unexpected results.

The first morning after maintaining good posture I discovered less neck and back pain. Until then I had only been able to lessen the arthritic type pain by eating less gluten and continuing a regular yoga routine to manage stress. Stretching one’s body is useful, but building up the core muscles is essential. If you experience back pain, I highly recommend looking into improving your posture.

3. Location is important to any successful habit, and one can practice good posture anywhere. Start holding up yourself and include posture in your self care. It can only help you feel and look better. Identify where you struggle with posture the most and figure out ways to avoid slouching. Do you crouch over a low table to read or eat? Could you use a higher table or counter top for these activities? Do you curve your back when watching TV? Could you try stretching yoga moves on the floor instead? Identify where you slouch the most and look for ways to improve. It will pay off greatly in confidence and better health.

Challenge: Work on your posture this week and improve your core. Record your experience in your weekly challenge journal.

• Record your places you slouch the most. What can you do to improve this?
• Try walking around with a book on your head for 5 minutes three times a day. Take a picture and post it at my Facebook page!
• Consider purchasing the Lumo Lift and using their app to find out how many minutes you slouch a day. This helps one self-correct throughout the day and identify your key times you slouch. This item also tells you how many steps you take daily. Staying active helps improve core strength too. Record how many minutes and hour you have good posture.
• Many electronics we already have include pedometers and other health apps. Try one to count your steps. Walk with good posture in mind and feel better. Write down how you feel after a walk and try to walk every day.
• Get a friend to help and take a side ways picture of yourself standing straight. Take a picture each day this week. Compare how well you stand with and without a book on your head. What do you notice?
  

  Stand tall and work on your core. Until next week, Stay Amazing!