Lower Back Pain Solution

So I was talking to Melissa the other day about ways to get rid of her lower back pain and since a sore lower back is a very common injury, I am sharing it with the group too. The lower back injury that I am talking about tends to come on suddenly and it's cause can usually be traced back to a strenuous activity or possiblely something as seeming simple as bending over to pick something up. The injury is a strain of the lower back muscles that occurs due to the large muscle in your core, the Transverse Abdominal, being weak. The good news is that this injury is easily treated by doing a few simple exercises that strengthen your Transverse Abdominal muscles.

The first exercise I suggest performing can be performed at multiple times during the day when you are sitting in a chair. You simply pull you stomach in, trying to touch your belly button to your spine and hold it sucked in for 10 seconds. Rest for one minute and then repeat 2 more times for a total of three repetitions. Perform this sequence a total of 3 times each day. In a few weeks your back pain should be gone. The key to keeping this back pain from coming back is using correct lifting techniques any time you bend over to pick something up. The correct way to pick things up is to keep your stomach sucked in and tight while bending over which activates your Transverse Abdominal Muscle (TVA) and protects your lower back. (Lifting things in this manner protects your lower back just as a weight belt does.)

This article has some other exercise to strengthen your TVA muscle.
http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/transverse-abdominal-exercises.html

This link discusses the relationship between the TVA and lower back pain.
http://www.banbackpain.com/main/whats_at_the_core_of_your_back_pain/

Good luck!

Robert

Robert's Meatball Recipe

The recipe includes the following ingredients:

• 2 pounds of 96% lean ground beef
• ~ 1/2 pint of egg whites
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal...
• 4 oz of tomato paste

Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl. This recipe should make about 10 meatballs at 4oz each for the ladies and 5 meatballs at 8oz. Divide the mix up into the appropriate size meat balls and cook on a cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 375deg. Cook the meatballs at 375deg for 24 minutes. If you want the meat balls to be a little juicier, add more egg whites to the mix and a little less oatmeal.

One meat ball will satisfy the protein requirements for one meal if you are eating 5 times each day. You can also substitute 99% lean ground turkey meat for the lean ground beef. It is important that you use the leanest ground beef. When you use the fattier meat, you add a huge amount of unneeded calories to the meal.

Robert

Bonking it NOT what some of you think it is...

So the other day in class, a couple of you “bonked.” While the definitions for the word range from hitting your head to sexual intercourse, the definition I’m referring to it as follows: (from Wikipedia because it’s easier to copy and paste than writing the same thing with different words): Bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by precipitous fatigue and loss of energy. If we look at the hit-your-head definition...the word bonk in this case means to hit a wall. So basically, the bonk refers to that catastrophic moment when there’s suddenly nothing left in the tank; when the legs turn to jelly, and you are DONE!

The simple explanation for bonk is that long-endurance exercise depletes the body’s store of glycogen, which produces the energy required to maintain performance. When the glycogen depletes entirely, the body has no more fuel and instead burns fat, resulting in a surge of fatigue and a performance collapse. That’s the simple version anyway... (see below for a link to a longer version).

You can cure milder instances of the bonk with brief rest and eating or drinking food or fluids containing carbohydrates. “Carbs” is not a bad word. You need them! They are your fuel! To ensure your glycogen levels are high when come to class, eat some carbs. You’ve probably heard the term “carb loading”? (if not, a quick Internet search will provide you additional information). Carb loading maximizes the storage of glycogen (or energy) in your muscles. You clearly don’t need to carb load for class, but you do need energy!

Eat before you come to class. You need fuel!

Maybe Robert will chime in here about carbs and breakfast (your most important meal of the day!)...and why you need to eat!

If you want to read more on bonking, more than you ever wanted to know can be found here: http://tunedintocycling.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/cycling-nutrition-the-bonk/

I hope that helps...

Bill

Welcome to CST-X.com!

Getting physically fit can be a challenge--staying fit can be a struggle. I’ve heard it from many of my new students...they’ve tried other plans, other gyms, boot camps, the latest fads, etc....some work for the short term, most don’t work at all.

I can help you solve your fitness challenges. I don’t offer a “boot camp”...do you really want some muscle-bound jock yelling at you? Really? I offer “classes” and teach you how to change your life. I don’t YELL at you. I encourage; I lead; I demonstrate; I consult; I advise; I motivate; I listen; I understand; I entertain; I challenge; I help you change your life. Don’t believe it? Read what my students have to say.

CST-X gives you everything you need to meet your fitness challenges:

• Fitness professionals guiding you toward success
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If your ready to increase your energy, boost your metabolism, improve your endurance, burn off fat, and ultimately get lean and sexy, contact me and I’ll give you the fitness solutions to help you change your life.

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