We rarely think about what is holding us up. It is not simply a skeleton. There is a complex system of muscles that hold you up and allow you to move. These muscles, like every system of our extremely efficient bodies, function on a "use it or lose it" principle. Most muscles in your body are designed to be active all day, every day (with the exception of sleep). Muscles are not designed be neglected and then asked to perform in extreme conditions and then return to inactivity.
The Tummy Team specializes in Core Rehabilitation but we do much more than that. In our opinion, it all begins at the core because without that stability there is little hope of having a strong and balanced body. Most clients we see begin with nearly completely inactive and neglected internal core muscles. There are a group of muscles that encircle the core (the area between your pelvis and your rib cage) that are primarily responsible for holding you up. The main muscle in this group, the largest muscle and the only muscle in the body that wraps completely around the body to have a front, back, right and left aspect all in one muscle is your transverse abdominis. We often refer to this muscle as a corset or your God given girdle. The function of this muscle (as well as many core muscles) is to hold you up. It elongates the abdomen between the pelvis and ribcage like a pulled slinky. When this muscle is strong and active it is your major postural muscle and it also holds your organs up and in and provides stability for your spine.
Below is a good image of this muscle with all of the other muscles removed. The tranverse abdominis in reality is a deep muscle, under several other abdominal muscles and lumbar muscles but for this image they strip the other muscles away so you can see the massiveness of your corset.
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| The Transverse Abdominis- runs from the 2 sides of the spine along your back, around your sides (love handles) and attaches to your pelvis all the way to your pubic bone and to your lower 6 ribs all the way to your sternum. |
This does not mean "sucking in" or "tensing up" all day. This does not mean engaging your muscles at 100% effort all of the time. Neither of these strategies are realistic or helpful. The body is meant to be active and fluid, a happy marriage of stability and mobility, not tense and stiff and tight all of the time.
When you stand up, your legs hold you up right? Your legs are not tense and tight nor are they noodles and flimsy, but they are "on". The muscles that support your weight and hold you up and balance you on your feet are active. This is what you core was designed to be... active.
Sometimes people ask us... "Do you really expect us to hold our core active ALL DAY?" And our answer is if you are upright "yes". We also expect your neck muscles to hold your head up when you drive and you legs to hold your body up when you stand and walk and your jaw muscles and tongue to move when you talk and chew. We are not asking too much of the body. It is absolutely possible to rebuild the strength of the core to hold you up, elongated, tall, "long, lean and lifted every time you are sitting up or standing up. It was actually how your body was designed to function.
However, most of us have not used these muscles like this for quite some time. Consider how you and how most of the people around you are sitting or standing right now. Take a some time to people watch, especially the people you know who complain of back pain or low energy. If we think about that "use it or lose it" principle then we can easily draw the conclusion that what ever we ask the body to do most will win. If we consistently tell the body it does not need to hold itself up, that you can just collapse the ribs onto the pelvis or rest back against the seat or recline all day, when will it learn how to hold you up. If you consistently lean against back support or rest your arms or hips against the counter, why would you body think it needs to hold you up. Check out these visual examples... can you see yourself in any of these images?
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| Slumped, collapsed core- the transverse is inactive. |
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| Collapsed into chair, sitting on tail bone and unable to activate the core at all. |
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| 1. Tucked and collapsed core 2. Elongated active core 3. Inactive core resting on the hip ligaments |
Chairs, couches, cars, and poor fitness choices are changing how our body postures itself and what muscles are used to hold us up all day. These changes are not ideal. They will work as compensation strategies temporarily but they will not last for long. There is a perfect design to our bodies. A way that everything is balanced so the systems work well, so we can breath and laugh and dance. It is beautiful and amazing and very easy to take for granted. When we are consistently living outside of that optimal design our body begins to fail.
When your muscles do what they were meant to do, the body is able to heal and strengthen. When some muscles are compensating consistently for other muscles to keep you from falling over, the compensating muscles are kept from doing the jobs they were originally intended to do. The chain reaction from disuse and misuse can be long and seemingly unrelated to the core but the reality is that it is not and body starts to feel like it is falling apart.
Often you cannot just try to have better posture. It is not about trying harder. You have neglected some muscles and misused other muscles in an attempt to power through life. You likely need rehab.
We can help you rebuild your body but it starts at the core. It is not simply a series of exercises. Not a list to check off and do again tomorrow. It involves systematically retraining the muscles to do what they were intended to do and facilitating the body to use the muscles that way. It is a lifestyle. It is learning how your machine runs and helping it run efficiently for the long haul.
The Tummy Team is passionate about long term changes. Not simply how you feel in 6 weeks but how you will feel 6 years from now and more! Let us help you.
So, what is holding you up?
