Building a Strong and Functional Core

Speaker 1 0:04

Hey guys , cory from Redefining Strength , welcome to the Finis-Hacks podcast . In this episode , i want to talk about building a stronger core , but not just a core that looks defined , that has six pack abs or that even prevents lower back , hip or knee pain , but something that is truly functionally strong so that we can move and feel our best till our final day on this planet . I also want to address some of the areas we don't often consider when we're talking about our core . It's really going to be that whole pelvic core neuromuscular system that we're going to address today . I'm super excited to share the expertise of pelvic core physical therapist Christina Christie . She's going to walk us through a whole bunch of different tips .

Speaker 1 0:39

I had the honor of going through a presentation with her and I want to really assess and break down all the different things she covered to help you implement them into your everyday life so that you can move and feel your best and address any core dysfunction you might be having or even know where you need to reach out for more help .

Speaker 1 0:54

Let's jump right in and get started learning more about our core . One of the first key points she covers is not just accepting issues . I think a lot of times we just accept something as oh , this is now the way it is . Oh , my lower back now hurts , oh , i sometimes pee when I jump rope right . There's little dysfunctions that we don't realize . there's more we can do something about . Christina actually brings this up and has this conversation because she says she sees a lot of clients coming in that has just accepted the way that life is , instead of taking control of what they can control . Just recognize that if you are having an issue with your core whether it's ab separation or whatnot there's so much you can do to rebuild , but sometimes it means really regressing and taking these back to basics . Here's what she said about clients coming in .

Speaker 2 1:40

Yes , I can't tell you how many women have sat in front of me and just said I had no idea I could do something about some of these issues and I just thought that this was the way I had to live . Now , Getting this information out to the masses is so very important because , again , it'll affect every part of their life .

Speaker 1 1:57

This is why we really want to be open about what we have going on and not fear discussing the different dysfunctions that we have . It's not bad to ask for help when you're not sure how to address an imbalance or correct a weakness that you have . Some problems we will encounter as well aren't going to be comfortable to talk about , but I think even having this conversation and making them more accepted is super key , because so often we do feel alone and then we don't reach out for help . The more we can make ourselves a little uncomfortable being open to discussing this , the more we can open this conversation for other women , other men going through different issues . When it comes to our core , the more we understand the importance and impact it can have on all these different lifestyle factors and even our overall health , the more we can seek out solutions that really meet us where we're at .

Speaker 1 2:45

As Christina mentioned , our core functioning really impacts everything in our life and how it works can be impacted by so many other things in our life . There's this relationship between things where one impacts the other but the other impacts the thing that might impact it later on . You have to really get to the heart of the dysfunction . That's why I want her to break down for you how we can better understand our pelvic core neuromuscular system and even the impact of injuries , activities of daily life , pregnancy , postpartum , how they are all affected by our core strength and how they all affect our core strength .

Speaker 2 3:18

To start out , why do we need to understand our pelvic core neuromuscular system ? Basically , it is the foundation of our body . It influences and is influenced by everything our body goes through , so our activities of daily living , any injuries that you may have sustained as you enter into a journey of pregnancy If that is in your journey and then in that postpartum journey after becoming a mother , i mean all of those components are affected by our pelvic core neuromuscular system . As we age , there are a number of things that can happen that can actually start to not quite work right . If we just are knowing what to do to help enhance that pelvic core neuromuscular system connection , it can dramatically change how you function throughout your activities of daily living , giving you the ability to exercise and sustain health and wellness . A couple of the reasons , too , as to why you would need to understand the components of the pelvic core neuromuscular system and how it works are some of these statistics .

Speaker 2 4:27

It's been estimated that between 12 and 25 million Americans have some form of pelvic floor dysfunction . That breaks it down to one in three women , and that is across all ages . It's not just when we get older . It's more prevalent , certainly , when we get older , but it is across all ages . These pelvic floor dysfunction and disorders can be absolutely devastating to the quality of your life , leading to potentially social embarrassment , depression , lack of self-esteem and even isolation and not participating in the activities that you want to in your life , as well as in any type of exercise situation .

Speaker 2 5:09

Here's one of the alarming facts is that fewer than half of all women will seek help for something as basic as incontinence . Why is that ? Well , a lot of times we see commercials on TV that include drugs for incontinence or using the pads or the new slimline type diapers , and we kind of have normalized it and think that this is just a normal part of life . If you get nothing else out of this podcast , i will tell you that no amount of incontinence should ever be considered normal . Is it common ? Yes , is it normal ? No , and we can do something about it .

Speaker 1 5:49

So as we get older , things can change .

Speaker 1 5:50

As Christina mentioned , we need to normalize this and not just accept dysfunction , because I think it goes back to even saying like I'm too old or I'm too busy , right , all these things are excuses that allow us to not do the things that we need .

Speaker 1 6:04

We're putting a label on it and letting that label define us instead of addressing it . So remember that things are going to change as we get older . There are going to be different stages of life that we need to address different dysfunctions of our core , which is why it's also key that we understand all the components of the core , because the core isn't just our abs . It's really everything between our shoulders and our knees , down our front side and our back side , and the more we can get these different areas working together , the more functionally strong we're going to be . We have to remember that our core is what really allows our upper body and our lower body to work functionally together . So Christina is going to break down why having a strong core and proper engagement can truly impact so many different areas of our body and take you through all the different components of that pelvic , core , neuromuscular system .

Speaker 2 6:53

The top of your core is considered your respiratory diaphragm . The front of your core are your abdominal muscles and they wrap around the sides to the back of your core or the hip and back muscles . And the bottom of the core are the very important pelvic floor muscles that are attached , believe it or not , to some of your hip muscles . So why is that so very important ? All of those muscles have to be team players . They have to work together in an integrated fashion in order to give you a good foundation . You know , think of your home . If your home doesn't have a good foundation , things start to break down along the way . Same thing happens in the body .

Speaker 1 7:37

So , even when we think about our core is more than just our abs . We think you know our obliques , we think maybe our back , but we don't so often consider our diaphragm and our pelvic floor . But they're very key components and , again , if there is not correct pressure in any of these areas , we're not going to transfer force correctly between our upper lower body , we're going to see a lot more global problems even from like a local issue , right . So if there's an issue in one muscle , it can have far-reaching impact because everything truly is connected and And as uncomfortable as this is , especially throughout our lives , ladies , the pelvic floor dysfunction can have a huge impact . Okay , and Christina is going to touch on that a little bit and I super excited for that . As much as it's awkward to discuss , i do think it's so key because I think we don't recognize how many things in our life can be these huge traumas for our body . So rebuilding our pelvic floor and making sure that we're engaging those muscles and then being able to transfer that to these like global Or compound movements , is so key , okay . So , especially postpartum , rebuilding that pelvic floor can help us avoid issues later in life And so often we just ignore it . We just accept that , we just try and go back to doing you know , these big things because we want to get our body back , when really it is about meeting yourselves always where we're at . We have to break things down . It can be so hard to take that step back , especially when we are feeling good , but if we don't address and really recognize these different like traumas to our body , pregnancy is a trauma We're not going to be able to rebuild in a way that makes us feel as functionally fit and strong as we can . So We want to recognize how important our pelvic floor is , but also the far-reaching impact of our pelvic floor .

Speaker 1 9:13

Okay , our pelvic floor is even connected to our hip flexors and This can have a huge impact , not only on you know some of the more uncomfortable things to discuss with pelvic floor and working out Like the peeing , daring jump rope , but also it can have a huge impact on our balance . What we think of as maybe an issue , you know , post pregnancy . You know , building that pelvic floor back can have a huge impact on our stability as we get older . A lot of times We end up not being able to balance as well as we should , which leads to falls and fractures as we get older . But it's because we have an assess that connection between air foot and our core , but also the link between our pelvic floor and our hip flexors .

Speaker 1 9:52

So we want to make sure that not only are we assessing again locally those muscles , but then looking more globally at the impact . It can have to even work from the ground up or from the top down . We're needed to then help strengthen our core as we strengthen our core to really impact these other things as well . Okay , off of this too , it's key that we assess our breathing with things . Okay , when you're doing these strengthening workouts , you're not just working on those muscles from your squats . You also want to think about the impact that your core has on bracing to protect your back , but then on breathing has to power the movement and also for that proper core bracing when you are lifting heavy , you want to think about that deep inhale before you go to really brace everything and that exhale on exertion to make sure that you're Controlling the pressure that's internally there , because if you're not controlling that pressure , that's where we can also see issues as well . I love that Christina really covers the importance of the diaphragm and I'll let her jump into that .

Speaker 2 10:48

We then look at the role of our respiratory diaphragm because again that has a very important role and Many times we forget that that is actually a muscle and impacts how we manage intraabdominal pressure . So our respiratory diaphragm Most people know it as provides the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide at the cellular level and then it kind of stops there . However , it also provides bladder and bowel control from a pressure management system . That pressure management system is so very important when you're doing any type of strength training or Lifting or anything that you basically have to exert pressure or power to . If we know how to manage intraabdominal pressure better , that also will have a positive effect through our entire core . And Then it also helps to balance parasympathetic and sympathetic balance of our nervous system .

Speaker 2 11:46

So I'm sure many of you have heard of something called the vagus nerve . That's kind of our relaxation Type of nerve where if we do simply deep breathing , we actually Stimulate the vagus nerve to stimulate a relaxation response in our body and then again It's part of that pelvic core most ability , so providing mobility and stability throughout our entire core .

Speaker 1 12:12

Now that we've talked about the different areas of our core , i do want to jump into some of the dysfunctions that we will see besides just lower back , hip , knee pain , even shoulder pains . You know we think of these as a little bit more common with our core and This one's the awkward one , but it is in confidence , and I think this is so important to address because I know so many people that do suffer from not wanting to jump rope , not wanting to do the jumping activities in their training that they should be doing . Because of this , and if we avoid some of those explosive Movements in our training , obviously we have to build back up to them . You have knee pain , hip pain , whatever else . You do need to potentially reduce impact before you add it back

Addressing Pelvic Core Dysfunctions and Incontinence

Speaker 1 12:48

in . But the more we can retrain these movements , the functionally Stronger we will be in everyday life . Because you're gonna step off that curve . You might need to jump up onto something if you want to tackle a new challenge and go on that hike to site see on your vacation right . The more we're also able to jump , the more this translate into our reaction time , better agility in everyday life . So , while we think of it as just jumping and we don't want to do jumping because it's uncomfortable and potentially even because of the issue with , you know , our core strength . We want to be able to build back to that because it will help us stay Healthy and avoid risk for injury as we get older . So if you've ever peed yourself jumping rope or you're avoiding specific moves because of that , please realize that this is something that you can address . Okay , you can rebuild that stronger core to really help with it . Avoidance , honestly , is never the best option . As much as we do want to run from issues , we want to try and just ignore our aches and pains in so many different areas , but just even resting an injury doesn't correct what led to the overload in the first place .

Speaker 1 13:44

We really need to break things down to those basics and again start potentially locally with the exact muscles and then look more Globally , because everything has to work together . I Love activation moves and I think they're a super important part of every workout routine . You want to start your mobility work , your workouts , with that foam rolling , stretching and activation , because that activation is what establishes that my body connection . But once you establish that my body connection , you've got to get everything to recruit correctly . You've got to get the right muscles to work in the right orders at the right extent . Okay , so this is where you have to go back to those bigger compound movements . After you've done that , activation and isolation , because nothing does really work in Isolation everyday life . Everything has to work together . Okay , that's why we don't want to avoid , as Christina mentions You don't have to feel awkward to about discussing these things . So I want her to dive into the dysfunctions a little bit and you can hear what she says .

Speaker 2 14:36

So some of the common dysfunctions that I see , as a physical therapist , working in the sports medicine or orthopedic and pelvic health worlds for the past 33 years , are these type of symptoms . They are called lower urinary tract symptoms and they can again be devastating to how you work out and to your Quality of life and your activities , a daily living . So many people know the word urinary incontinence , but there are different types of urinary incontinence . One of them is stress incontinence , that's if you cough , sneeze , laugh and jump , you lose urine and again , that should never be considered normal . If that's happening , there's something that we can do about it .

Speaker 2 15:21

Urgine incontinence is where you feel like you have to constantly go to the bathroom and then You go to the bathroom , you leave the bathroom and that urge starts again And you feel like you have to go again , but you're actually not even producing that much urine . That can happen from miscommunication of nerves , and behavioral modifications can affect that . In order to stop that , now many women , as a first line of defense , when they talk to their doctor about this , they're offered medication . Well , there is so much more that we can do without using the medication , or if somebody is using it , we can do many things to help them wean off of that medication . Mixed incontinence is the combination of both . So both stress and urgent incontinence that you have at the same time Urgency and frequency can refer to .

Speaker 2 16:14

I'm sure many of you have heard of overactive bladder . You may have even seen commercials about that And that term got to go . Got to go , that's pretty common . And again , behavioral modifications knowing what is normal for bladder and bowel health and knowing the right exercises to enhance our pelvic coronary muscular system can dramatically change that and completely eliminate that . A slower intermittent stream or straining can refer to potentially pelvic organ prolapse . If there is prolapse of the bladder , which is called assisticeal , that can mean that you're not fully emptying your bladder And that can again lead into that overactive bladder type situation because every time you go you're not completely emptying And you feel like you have to push and that it can be due to a prolapse . That feeling of incomplete emptying can also refer to that prolapse situation . So all of these situations again can be dramatically helped by the right exercises and meeting with a pelvic health specialist .

Speaker 1 17:25

So , even while you have something very focused you need to work on , you don't want to ignore all the other areas or the far reaching impacts that our core can have . And Christina touches on some of the things we can experience that we want to address with prehab work so we can move better in everyday life Not only poor core control , but our T-spine , our thoracic spine mobility , hip mobility limitations , abs separation and your breathing and how that can impact that . Postural distortions we don't realize how much sitting at our desk with our head , even forward , impacts so many different things . Again , our glutes and our lats and I've brought this up before have that connection through our thoracolumbar fascia And that sling has a huge impact where you might have a shoulder injury that results in a hip injury .

Speaker 1 18:07

So our core is that transfer of force . So we want to , while we might be looking at just specifically our breathing or specifically our pelvic floor , specific muscles , think about the global impact that those have Pulvic asymmetries like leading to lower back , si , joint issues , decreased balance reactions And again , peeing yourself when we jump rope . We don't want to have any of these things And so I want Christina to cover all these different topics and dive into the connections here before we even start to break down some moves so that you can address any issues you are seeing .

Speaker 2 18:37

So now here are some of the common type of pelvic core dysfunctions that we see in the peri and post-menopausal populations . We see poor integration of the pelvic core neuromuscular system , meaning things are just not quite working together right or they might be working opposite each other . We see something called T-spine or thoracic spine , mobility deficits affecting respiration . So the T-spine is kind of the forgotten spine . The cervical spine and the lumbar spine gets a lot of press because that's usually where people have pain . But that thoracic spine can dramatically again impact how our pelvic core neuromuscular system functions and how our bladder and bowel control function . We might see a loss of hip range , emotion And many times I see a loss of internal rotation . And if we see that loss of internal rotation remember one of your big group of pelvic floor muscles are connected to your hip muscles , so that will dramatically impact that . We might see something called rectus diastasis , which is when the abdominal muscles actually are either split or separated And that can be a scary term . However , research for rectus diastasis has evolved so greatly over the years And as long as you know the type of exercises that help someone to manage intra-abdominal pressure and there is good tensioning across the linea elbow , which is what connects the two recti muscles in your abdominal region . As long as we know how to work with that , we can dramatically affect someone's core working in a very functional and effective way .

Speaker 2 20:25

We might see postural deviations . So that could be more of that forward posture , that forward head , that kind of slumping forward a little bit more . We may see pelvic asymmetries , meaning that there could be asymmetries that are lending into low back pain or sacroiliac joint type pain And here is a big one decreased balance reactions . Almost every single patient that I have who comes in with any type of pelvic core or pelvic floor dysfunction has decreased balance reactions . So balance is a huge component to be able to integrate into a wellness and exercise program for that pelvic core neuromuscular system . We might see incontinence increase in the period and postmenopausal population And if you have had a child and experienced even just one pregnancy or multiple pregnancies , the research shows that if you experienced incontinence during pregnancy , the likelihood for you to experience it down the road or when you start to enter the perimenopausal phase of your life that that incontinence will again potentially worsen .

Speaker 1 21:42

Knowing all the issues that can arise is key so that we can address the far reaching impact our core has . But it's not only addressing the mobility work , the prehab work . We need the foam , really stretching and activation to improve our joint mobility , our muscle flexibility and even our joint stability through getting those underactive muscles working . It's recognizing that it's not just about training movements , it's about training your mind too . Part of this is establishing that ability to recruit muscles correctly , in the correct orders . But it's also the habits , the patterns we train .

Speaker 1 22:11

And I bring this up because Christina mentioned something that I found myself even doing .

Speaker 1 22:16

We do the just in case toileting , right , we go pee before a long trip because we don't want to have to go just in case .

Speaker 1 22:22

I know and Ryan makes fun of me the nervous pee before a workout where I'm going to do a hard workout and I might have just gone but I have to go again And what I didn't think about is the signal that this is sending . This is causing that habitual action . So we have to be conscious of , even when we're doing all the mobility work , the other mindset , so to speak , that we've created And I bring this up because it's not only with this pelvic core dysfunction that we can see it , but it's in other areas of our life , like even with injuries , we might do all the mobility work and then start to get on our heavy loads and not realize that we've reverted back to other unconscious recruitment patterns . So the more we can really assess that mind-body connection and even the patterns and habits we're creating , the stronger we're going to be . And I want her to dive into this a little bit more because I think she puts it so concisely and so well .

Speaker 2 23:11

Do you do a lot of just in case toileting . We've all done this right . You had that huge cup of coffee and you're like OK , i'm going to be in the car for a little while , i better go try to pee . And when we do that , you're going Once in a while , it's okay . But if you're doing that all the time , you're actually giving the messages to your body to empty your bladder before it actually is signaling to you that it needs to empty . Then that starts to influence the bladder patterning in a negative way .

Speaker 1 23:40

I just want to remind you because Christina made a huge point of this that it's so important to reach out if you have questions and not be afraid to discuss different subjects . She's had clients that have even been hesitant to talk to their doctors about these things because we haven't normalized that conversation . I do just want her to remind you as well that it's not bad to ask questions if you see something going on . The only dumb question is the one that you don't ask .

Speaker 2 24:04

I'll ask them if they talk to their doctor about that and they'll be like , well , no , i didn't talk to them , because that's horribly embarrassing . They didn't even tell their doctor about that . If you don't ask certain questions , the information might never be shared . You might be the first person , if you are a health or fitness professional asking that question or , if it is for yourself , ask yourself that question , and that might be setting you on a path to getting care that you may need

Strong Core

Speaker 2 24:33

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Speaker 1 24:33

Now , if you are trying to build a stronger core , what moves can you include to see results ? Christina mentioned that she wanted to share some fitness hacks , and I really want to go over some of the moves that she not only shared , but ones that I love , using the Pelvic Core Pro Ball . This is a great way to address all the functions of our core . I love it because not only can you get those adductors working , which are our hip flexor , which we've discussed are linked to the pelvic floor , but it can also work on that ABduction . So the glute , medius and different things like that to strengthen your glutes , because the glutes are such a fundamental part of building a stronger core as well , not only for the connection to the lats but how they really support even our ab racing , our movement patterns in everyday life . They are my favorite muscle too .

Speaker 1 25:19

But with all of this , I want to remind you that the point of pain isn't always where the problem started . Again , you could have a core dysfunction , lack of strength in one of the aspects of your core . That has far reaching impact . So you want to make sure that you are including not only the mobility work but then even integrating that mobility work using that my body connection you've established with that activation work in your warm-up into your workouts and then being conscious of your recruitment patterns during those bigger compound movements . So if you have back pain now , that might be a result of even improper breathing and you want to address that . So Christina mentioned four core areas that we want to focus on when we are taking this approach because , again , it's not just looking very locally at the problem , it's taking that global approach to everything , including looking at the shoulders , thoracic spine , hips , ankles and feet when you're addressing core dysfunction . So I'll let her cover that .

Speaker 2 26:14

So I wanted to share a couple of fitness hacks with you , which will be really great to get you started on this path . We want to look at taking what we call a four core or global approach . This all follows the information from the great institute in regards to the educational knowledge of applied functional science and how we look at a global approach to the body and will work locally , but then we always go back to that global aspect of how our body functions . So , in order to really enhance pelvic core neuromuscular system health , we want to look at our shoulders , our thoracic spine , our hips , our subtailer joint and our feet . The subtailer joints right are our ankles , and the feet have to have good intrinsic strength and mobility , as well as our toes , in order to actually influence the pelvic core neuromuscular system .

Speaker 1 27:12

So , covering these areas , i wanted to share some of my favorite drills and also I wanted to share one of the ones that Christina mentioned that I found myself being like holy moly , my big toe , my foot control is not as good as I thought it was , so I'll let her dive into that one . But , thinking about these different areas , i love the kneeling lot stretch and thoracic spine stretch , where you can even do a half wall hang so against the wall but putting your elbows up on a bench and even dropping your chest through as you think about extending through your upper back but not letting your lower back sort of arch , and pushing down into the bench and then relaxing back out . I love that drill . I love the wings chest stretch , which you can do sort of anywhere . You put your hands behind your head , bring your elbows together and then open it up . These are great things to work on . your shoulder mobility address that thoracic spine , because we often think about neck shoulder pain as an issue with our neck or shoulder , but that thoracic spine has a huge impact on the function of those areas and how we load the muscles down . Not to mention a lack of thoracic extension could be why we're suffering from lower back pain because we're constantly arching our lower back . Again , the point of pain is not always where the problem is , and so we have to address all these different areas of our core and realize how much everything is connected . So I love that wing chest stretch to open up the chest , mobilize the shoulders . I love that thoracic spine stretch as well to mobilize that T spine or thoracic spine .

Speaker 1 28:32

Four hip stretches I love doing one . that's the half kneeling hip and quad . If you can't kneel , you can always do a version either standing or you can even do something where you're doing it off a bench with your foot here , and then you can sort of drop down . especially if you can't fully put a knee down , you can always put more padding , but you can drop down here because by having your foot back you're not only getting your hip flexors but you're also getting your quad muscles as well , because there's only one quad that actually connects at the hip , and so you wanna make sure that by doing that knee flexion you're addressing your quads and your hip flexors . So I love that . to really help , i want her to dive into the foot one , because I think this drill will really shock some of you in terms of your potentially lack of my body connection . It definitely was one that I have been working on myself as well .

Speaker 2 29:18

Then the next picture that you see is for our subtailer joint and our feet and our toes . So can you lift just your big toe . If you can lift just your big toe and press those little toes down , you're able to get that toe dissociation . Then can you press your big toe down and lift just your little toes And then can you alternate . That would speak to some subtailer joint and intrinsic foot strength and mobility . And again remember what I said balance , reaction and incontinence and pelvic core dysfunction go hand in hand . Almost all of my patients will have stiff feet . Their toes won't be as mobile , Their ankles won't be as mobile And you can see , when you take that total body approach , how that would affect your pelvic core neuromuscular system .

Speaker 1 30:19

Our mind body connection is constantly a work in progress And if you do have injuries , if you have been pregnant , if you've had different surgeries , all these things are traumas to our body that interrupt it .

Speaker 1 30:28

So we always have to address them and recognize the impact they have . So working on the mind body connection to be able to isolate things is super key . Even thinking about , as you're just sitting here , like , can I flex my tricep , can I flex my glute , can I flex my quad , the better our mind body connection , the more we can call these muscles in isolation and the more we wanna be able to do that , because the more we can get everything working , we can get it working correctly in the correct orders , which makes us functionally stronger . As Christina mentioned , we train our body in the gym to move well in everyday life and we wanna be able to react quickly in everyday life . So it's not just about contracting one thing in isolation . It's about using that to then translate to how we can move everything together efficiently , and I want her to talk a little bit on that .

Speaker 2 31:11

It's not just about contracting your muscles . We have to create an environment in the body in order for those muscles to automatically react the way that they do in real life . If you're going to go and lift a heavy weight or do a dead lift or a squat or a jump , or you're gonna go running , having to have the thought that you need to contract your pelvic floor muscles shouldn't be there . We shouldn't be training that way . We should be looking at where the deficits lie in the body . Improve those deficits and then those muscles will automatically react . Now , can we bring awareness to those muscles Absolutely ? And am I telling you to never do a Kegel ? No , It can be very valuable in the initial phases of retraining . However , we now have to take those further steps .

Speaker 1 32:09

So this is not a product placement , but I was lucky enough for Christina to send me her Pelvic Core Pro , which I was super curious to try out and test out , because I usually slightly ghetto rig this by using like a mini-ban and a block between my knees . So this is basically like that block or that posture ball which I also sub in between the knees to work on that ADD deduction , so that adductors versus abduction , which would be the mini-ban okay , but you get both in this . I wanted to give you some of the guidelines she gave me as well , with wanting to apply about 50 to 70% pressure as you use it and it helps you integrate and use your core . So it's like that tactile queuing to remind you to engage these muscles as you're doing the different movements , because it can be sometimes hard to think about those as you're focusing on all the different components of a more compound exercise . So , having that little bit of pressure , it's why I'll even sometimes touch my butt as I'm doing different things or like touch the muscle to feel it working , because sometimes that's that reminder that you need .

Speaker 1 33:07

This can be that tactile queue , okay . So it gets your Pelvic Core and Pelvic Floor activating like they should , and it helps you build up to impact , even if you are struggling to build back up to jumping . It allows you to take that 3D approach to movement , moving in every direction as well . It doesn't limit you , which is amazing , so I wanted her to talk about how it helps you build up to impact .

Speaker 2 33:28

One important component too . Anyone needing to return to impact or improving your ability to run , to jump , to do any type of impact when we integrate that variable resistance that helps us to improve it .

Speaker 1 33:50

So if you are listening to this , i would highly recommend you check out the video demonstrations of this movement on YouTube , because I'm gonna show you how to use the Pelvic Core Pro . One of my favorite moves is the squat , and I love that you don't have to take the bands on and off as you're also trying to push your ball between your knee . It makes it very efficient and I'm very lazy , but with this , i love using the fact that you can engage your glute medius by doing even lateral taps with it . Okay , so you can work on that abduction , working the glute medius , getting those hips stabilized and stronger , right . But you can also address the fact that you need to strengthen your adductors , which are hip flexor and connected to your pelvic floor , by doing a little squeeze as you squat . Okay , and if you need to , guys , the bench is a great tool to use , where you can squeeze the ball and sit down to the bench and then stand back up . You can then even do a wide squat , and now you're working your glute medius more by pushing out against the band and do a wide squat . So you could do back to back squats , where you're squeezing first to get those adductors right And then you're even working your glute medius by doing a little bit wider against the band . So I like pairing those two things together as part of the activation .

Speaker 1 34:59

I also loved using this during a glute bridge , because when you're doing the glute bridge right , i love that glute bridge was squeezed . A lot of you have probably had it programmed in if you've done any of my workouts right . This way you can squeeze , but now you can also widen your feet out and do a bridge pressing out against it . If you even want to take it from here , you can even do abductions at the top of the glute bridge , because that mini band as you're pushing out against it is what engages the glute medius , which can help you better engage the glute max , which can help improve that hip stability . So you really get the benefit of working all around your hip complex and really building that stability of even that SI joint protecting your lower back . This can even help you brace your abs better . So when you're doing this , if you even want to think about using a plank right , you can work on the core of the abs . You can squeeze that ball which can help you engage that pelvic floor better , because again you're working those adductors which are the hip flexor . So you're going to feel even , potentially , your abs light up more by doing this And then you can even do the wide stance .

Speaker 1 35:58

By doing a wide stance , you're going to engage those glutes more Again . Engage in that glute . Medius can help you engage that glute max . You want to focus on a slight posterior pelvic tilt to engage those abs , but you're using that ball , you're using the bands to help engage even the muscles around your hip to better help your entire core function . And I would recommend probably not talking through it but focusing on your breathing as you're doing the movements , because it'll allow you to breathe correctly , create that proper intradominal pressure which is so key . Okay , if you are looking for even more amazing tips from Christina and want to strengthen your core and become empowered to move and feel your best as you get older , i want to share how to contact her . I also am inspired by her passion and the fact that she had a very personal story to share with me about why she's so passionate about this . So I'm going to let her share that and where you can find her so you can get even more help building that stronger core .

Speaker 2 36:52

So that concludes the information that I at least wanted to bring to you And just wanted to let all of you know how you can contact me and where our social media is , and then also provide a discount code to all of you that , if you are interested in getting your own PelvicOrPro , you certainly can do that by visiting the Pelvic Solutions website and entering the code RS10 for a $10 discount for a unit , and then , for the health or fitness professionals , we do also have bulk pricing as

Improving Female Health and Wellness

Speaker 2 37:27

well .

Speaker 2 37:27

The goal of all of this is to help improve the quality of your life . My own mother dealt with pelvic floor dysfunction and severe PelvicOrgan prolapse and she passed before I could fully help her with all of this , because that was a number of years ago . So my goal was to make sure that everyone doesn't have to deal with some of the dysfunction that she had to deal with and improve that across the board and improve education about female health , because we can do much better with that across the board in regards to health , wellness and fitness for our female population . So thank you , corey .

Speaker 1 38:06

Thank you all for tuning in to this episode of the Fitness Hacks podcast . I love to hear your thoughts and if you're going to be integrating in any of those moves where you're working both of your adductors and your abductors to really strengthen your core . Thank you ,