The Core: Unleash Your Inner Caveman

[Guest guest]

Free-Reprint Article Written by: Potts

-----------

IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms

- You have permission to publish this article electronically in

free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as

the bylines are included.

- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial

purposes.

- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited

Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in

an opt-in email list only.

- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we

ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that

contains the article to info@...

- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links

MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of

the URL where the article is posted to

info@...

- We request that you ask permission from the author if you

want to publish this article in print.

The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as

part of its Article Distribution feature (

http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT

own this article, please respect the author's copyright and

this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of

these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.

-----------

Article Title: The Core: Unleash Your Inner Caveman

Author: Potts

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet

Word Count: 1101

Article URL:

http://www.isnare.com/?id=1693 & ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Format: 64cpl

Author's Email Address: info@...

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com

Online Publisher Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?id=1693

------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------

An alternative name for this article could have been, 'How to

undo Generations worth of Damage Caused by sitting on our

Backsides and Letting Machines Teach us Not to Stand up

Straight'.

That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue though, does it?

The point is the same, however. Before we were even able to

stand fully erect we could literally fight for our right to

live on a daily basis. Now, we are again barely standing up

straight due to bad posture and bad habits, but we can hardly

walk across town without pulling a muscle or throwing our back

out!

Why? We are weak - from the inside out! In today's image

conscious society, we are so concerned with the way we look

that we ignore the fact that we are falling apart from the

inside. For lack of a better term, we are " rotten to the core " !

What IS " the core " ? Why does everyone keep talking about

training 'the core " ? What does any of this have to do with

cavemen?

Basically, the idea here is that there was a time in human

evolution when we literally had to fight to survive. Although

actual battle was certainly part of life back in the Stone Age,

we are also talking about the day to day struggle that was

involved in just making it to see another sunset!

Walking, running, climbing, throwing, pushing, pulling,

balancing, lifting, pressing - the list goes on and on. These

activities were all a daily part of life way back when the

human body was being " programmed " .

Compare that to the present day activity level of an average

person in a civilized culture, and what do you get? A MAJOR

difference between the way we were built and the way we are

actually called upon to perform! If you took your average

office worker in 2005 and threw them back in time to a point

when fur was " in " , they probably wouldn't last for very long.

Is it wrong that modern technology has made our lives so easy?

Probably not - depending on who you ask. However, is it wrong

that we don't keep our bodies as strong and vital as we used to

HAVE to keep them? YES!

Just because you CAN sit down all day, and just because you CAN

eat 1,000 calories in less than 20 minutes, and just because you

CAN pay someone else to mow your lawn doesn't mean that you

SHOULD do those things.

Allowing our easy lives to make us weak is OUR fault. It's not

your boss at work who tells you that you can't exercise when

you aren't pulling desk time. It's not your mother or father

who is making you eat at fast food restaurants every day. It's

not your car that is making you drive it ¼ mile to the store

instead of just walking.

It's YOUR fault. It's all YOUR fault. Does that sound harsh?

That's too bad, because it's the truth and you know it. Even

people who are paralyzed from the waist down can get plenty of

exercise if they train hard enough. Even people who don't know

a barbell squat from a bench press can learn if they really try

to. Even " corporate Americans " who work 12-hour days can get

some exercise and eat right if they truly make an effort.

So what can you do to be more in touch with the " programmed "

caveman inside of you? Simple. Get out there and make an

effort! Get up off your backside, stop making excuses, and

MOVE. Start from the inside, though - with the Core.

What is meant by " the core " is the successful inner teamwork of

many systems in your body, all of them originating at center

mass - the torso area. We are talking about the muscles of your

lower back and spine, the Transverse Abdominis muscle behind

your " six-pack " , the obliques and other supporting muscles, the

circulatory and neurological systems that power these muscles

with fuel and instructions, and many more muscles and tissues

that all work together as a unit, collectively being called

" the core " .

Why does any of this matter to you? After all, it's only what

you look like from the outside that matters, right. Wrong! Your

body's core is like a power plant. It fuels and controls

everything that you do. From moving nutrient and oxygen-rich

blood to your extremities, to the very network of neurological

pathways that control your arms and your legs - all of this

starts at the core.

All of your vital organs and systems are located in the core

area. Your heart, lungs, spine, stomach, liver, kidneys - the

list goes on. The only thing outside of your torso that you

couldn't live without is your head. However, your head is

directly connected to your spinal column, which is part of the

core!

Part of having a strong core is that the actual muscles are

thicker, stronger, and much more resistant to injury. If you

have a weak core, you could give yourself a lifetime back

injury just by picking up a box the wrong way! On the other

hand, if your core muscles are strong and vital, you have a lot

more " margin for error " when it comes to bending over, picking

things up, keeping your balance, etc.

What about your posture? Posture is definitely controlled by a

strong core. Would you think of having good posture as an

important thing? You should! If not, let's take a secret

shortcut to weight loss: Stand up straight and suck in your

gut. Congratulations, you just lost 10 pounds!

Are you starting to see the point? It all starts at the core,

so safeguarding the inner-workings of your body is as important

as it gets.

There are many great exercises to work your core, but listing

them all is beyond the scope of this article. The point that

you should take home is that working your core should be an

integral part of your life - even if you don't exercise on a

regular basis. Even if you don't care about weight loss or

physical appearance, safeguard your LIFE by having a strong

core!

Here are some resources where you can learn about core

exercises:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/bl_core.htm

Remember: Your core is your body's power plant. Keep YOUR body

running at maximum power!

About The Author: Potts is the owner and creator of

Fitness Destinations. 's experience in the health and

fitness industry includes one on one personal training in many

different environments, maintenance of several health-related

websites, and authoring of many fitness-related products for

consumers and fitness professionals.

http://www.fitnessdestinations.com/journal.html

------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------

For more free-reprint articles by Potts please visit:

http://www.isnare.com/?s=author & a=+Potts