5 Signs That Your Core Fitness Could Improve

We don’t intend this article to be about doing your planks, tucking in your bum or better alignment of your body the way this blog did. In this article, we’re talking about five signs that are good indicators (though not conclusive proof) of poor core fitness. Many muscles and soft tissues support your core, and we often take it for granted that they work optimally. However, when they don’t, it can cause various problems that you may not initially connect to your core. These five signs often come to light after pregnancy, abdominal surgery, rapid weight gain or loss, or can even develop over time due to lifestyle. Do any of them sound familiar?

Your Back Always Hurts

Nagging lower back pain that never seems to resolve itself completely isn’t always due to your back muscles. We often attribute lower back pain to other things such as too much sitting, too much standing, picking up and carrying heavy things (and kids). It’s true that those activities can result in back pain, but they aren’t the cause. More likely, there’s an imbalance between the muscles in your core with the abdominal muscles in the front – literally – not pulling their weight. This causes the muscles in your back to work harder than they usually would. Ouch.

Your Balance is Off

Your body’s core is tasked with holding your frame upright and stable. It also helps coordinate all of your movements by transferring weight and power from various parts of your body to others as you move. When your core fitness is lacking, you may notice that you don’t feel as steady on your feet. Your movements lack the power they may have once had. Very athletic people often notice the difference when their core needs work because it affects their range of motion and coordination. The tendency is to restore core fitness by strengthening the muscles all around. However, sometimes more muscle strength doesn’t help. Reactivating some muscles and relaxing others help bring your core back into balance so you can feel more stable.

You Have Trouble Moving in Bed

Pregnant people spend the final stages of their pregnancy rolling off the bed and awkwardly changing positions to avoid straining muscles in their core and pelvis. But many people still have trouble moving around in bed, even after the baby is born. Blame it on your core and muscle imbalance again. Moving in bed relies on your abdominal muscles to pull your upper body and legs into a sitting position. When those muscles are weak or impaired by diastasis recti, you’re not going anywhere . Until you can be assessed by a professional, take care moving around and sitting up in bed, to avoid possibly injuring yourself further.

Deep Breaths are Difficult

What does the ability to take a deep breath have to do with your core fitness? More than you think! During pregnancy, your body resorts to shallow breathing because there just isn’t enough room for your diaphragm to move for a deeper breath. That shallow breathing can become a habit that is difficult to break after the baby is born. If your ab muscles are not working at full capacity or need reactivation, they won’t lengthen and contract as much as they need to. Wake those muscles up again, and you’ll be able to take a nice deep breath. Namaste.

You Have Stubborn Mommy Tummy

Perhaps you’ve heard – we don’t like the term mommy tummy. It has nothing to do with how you treat your body. On the contrary, it’s how your body is treating you! Mommy tummy is a part of postpartum recovery which can take upwards of a year. Diastasis recti and muscle imbalance can make it physically impossible to eliminate mommy tummy without intervention. So if after your six-week checkup, that little bit extra on your abdomen doesn’t go away, don’t blame yourself. All of the crunches wouldn’t have helped anyway.

All of these signs point to your core needing a little help to recover from whatever has diminished its fitness. There are simple, effective and comfortable treatment options that don’t involve surgery, medication or extreme fitness regimens. Learn more about them on our website, then get in touch for a consultation. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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