Tr.uCore Pain Free Fitness

Your Gateway to Better Health!

Build Bridges

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If you’re looking for a yoga pose that can strengthen your entire spine, increase mobility, and just plain old feels good….look no further than Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose). I often use it in my yoga classes because of it’s many benefits. This pose is also widely used in physical therapy because it has so many benefits for the low, mid and upper back. Among its benefits are:

  • It opens the heart space. We spend much of our time hunching forward (thus leading to bad posture, neck and shoulder pain)
  • Can help reverse herniated discs of the low back
  • Increases flexibility in the spine
  • Increases strength and endurance of the hip and leg muscles
  • Lengthens the muscles on the front of the body (abdominals and front of chest)

Here are a few tips to get the most out of this pose, while feeling safe and supported:

  • Before pressing up into the pose, actively engage Tr.uCore (if you don’t know how to do that, book a foundations class or individual session with us)
  • Then press into the feet and lift the hips. Resist the temptation to overarch the lower spine at this point, we are looking for balance of upper and lower spine in this backbend.
  • Next, move the shoulder blades closer to each other and arch the upper back. The lower spine will also arch, but the balance of force will not be solely on the low back.
  • Squeeze the glutes (buttocks) together. This takes the work off the hamstring muscles and distributes it to the glutes instead.
  • If you wish, you may also clasp your hand together under your spine to further open the heart.

If you’d like a personalized sequence or an individual session focused on your health goals, please drop us a line at lorie@trucoremethod.com. You can also sign up for a class or private session by clicking here. For more tips on pain relief and injury prevention  sign up for our newsletter here, or follow us on social media

Fab Abs!

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If you want to really see the roots of core strengthening, follow a baby through  his or her milestones. The first time they roll over, the core abdominal muscles awaken. They don’t even use their arms or legs….it’s all abs working to move them from the back to the stomach. We start out life by using and strengthening our core muscles. As we move through life we gain the ability to use our limbs more efficiently, which gives us (from toddlerhood onward) more independence and skills. However, it also means that the core muscles no longer get the unintentional strengthening they did before the arms and legs began to assist with movement. As we go through life and become adults, endurance and stability can suffer as a result.

Why is this? The deep abdominal muscles support the low back, which in turn lend stability and support the pelvis, hips, knees, and even the shoulders and arms. The biggest player in this repertoire is the transversus abdominus muscle. This muscle is in the abdomen and  lies under the rectus abdominus (commonly know as the 6-pack). It is a giant, powerful muscle that wraps around the torso and attaches to the vertebrae. Because of this, when the transversus abdominus is strong it stabilizes the spine. This minimizes the possibility of injury occurring when we move our arms and legs (think….walking, sports, carrying heavy loads and various everyday tasks).

Unfortunatley, this  muscle does not get strong with the  average work-out. This transversus abdominus is like a sleeping giant, it lays around lazily and lets others (i.e. the 6-pack muscle, hip muscles, low back muscles, etc.) do the work . However, with focus and consistency you can awaken this sleeping giant. Then it can keep all your muscles and joints strong and healthy!

So how do you rouse this muscle and use it to bring strength to the low back and other key parts of your body? Try the following exercises to get the transversus abdominus to kick in.

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Place your hands on the front of your hip bones, then move your fingers about an inch in, towards the center of the body, and press with slight pressure.
  • Now cough or laugh. When you do this you should be able to feel a little wiggle or jump of the T.A. muscle.
  • Now that you’ve figured out which muscle to engage, you can start strengthening the T.A.
    • Keeping your fingers on the T.A. muscle take an inhale (the belly will expand), then exhale and tighten the muscle by bringing the belly button towards the spine.  (You should be able to feel the muscle tight under your fingers)
    • Continue to engage the muscle as you take a few breaths. This is by far the hardest part of the exercise. Intuitively we want to hold our breath.
    • On an inhale relax the muscle, then repeat this 10 times.
    • Once you learn how to engage this muscle with breath, try to lift one foot a few inches off the floor.
    • Lower the foot, then lift the other a few inches off the floor.
    • Continue to alternate while you’re engaging the T.A. (This is like marching with small steps). This will train the T.A. muscle to to engage with movement.

Consistent training of the transversus abdominus will reward you with less incidence of low back pain or injury of the extremities.

If you’d like a personalized sequence or an individual session focused on your health goals, please drop us a line at lorie@trucoremethod.com. You can also sign up for a class or private session by clicking here. For more tips on pain relief and injury prevention  sign up for our newsletter here, or follow us on social media

Take a Breath!

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Healthy breath is a vital component to fitness classes. Yoga and meditation instructors guide students in breath exercises and instruct how to use breath effectively during movement. Why is the breath such an important part of fitness, and how does it help with overall health?

First let’s understand what happens when we breathe. Simply put, as we inhale we bring oxygenated air into the lungs. Oxygen then goes through the blood via red blood cells to all areas of the body. The oxygen then converts glucose to energy, thus supporting physical activity and keeping tissues healthy. Carbon dioxide, which is the waste product in de-oxygenated blood, then leaves the body through the exhale.

Increasing the oxygenation in the body helps increase energy to the muscles and decrease pain, it also decreases the chance of injury. Exercise and movement increase red blood cells (remember they carry the oxygen throughout the body). To increase oxygen going to the muscles, one needs to engage in aerobic activities, such as dancing, running, or cycling.

Yoga does not get the heart pumping like these activities, but it still can give you great benefit in this process because it strengthens the capacity of the lungs by toning core muscles and the muscles that help with respiration.

So get up and do the aerobic exercise that speaks to you…..run, dance, hike or whatever. But first, try toning the respiratory muscles at Tr.uCore or with these practices:

  • Table Breath
    • Come to all fours in Table Pose with knees under hips and wrists under shoulders
    • Curve the spine up (like a Halloween cat)
    • Take a deep breath in to the torso, feeling the breath expand the ribcage and shoulder blades
    • Hold for a count or 5-10. Repeat 3-5 times.
  • Prone Diaphragmatic Toning
    • Lay on your belly and rest your head on folded hands
    • Take a breath into the rib space
    • Hold for a count of 5-10. Repeat 3-5 times.

For a yoga or fitness class according to your schedule, check out our Flexbooking, visit our website or give us a call at (720) 295-6091.