Why Do Ab Exercises Hurt?

DO CORE EXERCISES HURT YOUR NECK AND/OR BACK?

If your answer is a discouraged and frustrated “yes”, then we need to check your alignment! Understanding and practicing proper posture while sitting and standing can help us build better awareness to figure out what’s “not right” when we’re moving. This is something I demonstrate in this 60sec video.

WHY DO AB EXERCISES HURT MY NECK?

When clients experience neck tension during core workouts, I usually observe one of these two “bad” habits:

  1. Dropping their chin to their chest.

  2. Sticking their chin too far forward

I demonstrate what both of these look like in this video and wrote a post about proper neck alignment you can read here.

WHY DO AB EXERCISES HURT MY BACK?

When clients experience lower back tension during core workouts, it’s usually when we’re doing exercises laying on the back and extending or lifting the legs. What’s usually happening is that their pelvis is tilting anteriorly, allowing the lower back to arch.

I also demonstrate what this looks like in this video and wrote another post about proper alignment of the pelvis here.

The solution, which I also demonstrate in the video, is to lower the feet as low as you can without letting your pelvis tilt and lower back arch. Getting our feet close to the floor isn’t nearly as important as effectively working our abdominals!

Before I send you on your way, here’s one final resource to help you effectively brace and engage your core.

If these tips make a difference, send this along to a friend you think would benefit from it!

Are THC and CBD The Only Cannabinoids?

Are THC and CBD The Only Cannabinoids?

Absolutely not! We hear a lot about CBD and THC because they’re the most abundant phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but they aren’t the only ones! There are hundreds of other “minor cannabinoids” including:

Image from Leafly.com

They’re called “minor” simply because there are small amounts present in the plant, but their potential impact on the future of health, wellness and medicine may not be “minor” at all! Anecdotal evidence, (people’s personal experiences). have both medical and cannabis researchers incredibly optimistic! They hypothesize that studying these cannabinoids could lead to major medical breakthroughs with conditions like:

  • neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Huntington’s disease

  • inflammatory diseases like arthritis and lupus

  • cancers - particularly the growth of cancerous tumors

  • insomnia and sleep quality in general

  • infections that are currently resistant to traditional antibiotics

  • nausea and issues with appetite

Again, these are still only theories based off of, (really encouraging), anecdotal evidence. Studying these cannabinoids has long been restricted so we still have so much to learn. Even still, it’s pretty clear that studying this plant will change the game!

Watch and share my 60sec video recap of this information on Facebook and Instagram!

Wondering How To Start Eating Healthier?

“Healthy” People Eat “Junk Food”

"Happy Life" and "Healthy Life" exist in the same place on a spectrum!

We probably won't feel our happiest if we aren't well... and we probably won't feel our healthiest if we aren't happy and fulfilled.

That's why context matters when we’re trying to eat healthier! That's why eating the ice cream can be the "healthy" choice in one circumstance and the "unhealthy" choice in another.

Awareness of where we are on the spectrum can help us figure out what the "right" choice for us is when we're deciding what to eat next!

Are you in tune with your body enough to know where you are on the spectrum? I help people build this awareness with wellness coaching and I'd love to help you too!

CBD vs THC

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CBD AND THC?

As I mentioned in last week’s post “Why Did I Decide To Add CBD Products To My Wellness Routine?”, both CBD and THC are cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant - “phytocannabinoids” - and both interact with our body’s Endocannabinoid System - “ECS”.

image from Weedmaps.com

CBD and THC differ in:

  1. How they interact with the ECS.

  2. The effects they ultimately have on the body.

The most “obvious” difference - and the one that’s usually focused on the most - is that THC is responsible for the “high” we associate with consuming cannabis. CBD, on the other hand, does not have intoxicating psychoactive effects.

CBD does not make you “high”.

While that’s the difference people tend to focus on, they each have their own unique effects that can be valuable to our overall health and wellness.

THC

Can help with things like:

  • pain management

  • insomnia

  • nausea

  • lack of appetite

CBD

Can help with things like:

  • inflammation

  • mental health (depression, anxiety and PTSD specifically)

  • seizures

  • relaxation

You’ll see a lot of warnings out there that research doesn’t support these claims, but it’s important to keep in mind that studying “the plant” has long been restricted, leaving us with mostly anecdotal evidence - people’s personal experiences - to learn from.

We still have so much to learn, but there are so many encouraging stories out there!

That said, buyer beware! Not all products are created equal. Quality matters, so research your sources - how they grow the plant, how they produce their product, and how they ensure consistency and quality control. Buy only from brands with integrity and that you know you can trust!

Watch and share my 60sec video recap of this information on Facebook and Instagram!

Improve Your Posture - Fix Your Form

OUR POSTURE ISN’T JUST HOW WE SIT AND STAND…

… IT’S HOW WE MOVE

Usually when we think about our posture, we envision whether or not we sit or stand upright. This is what’s called “static” posture - our posture when we aren’t active. When we’re sitting or standing, we’re focused on keeping everything stacked nice and neat:

HEAD

stacked over

SHOULDERS

stacked over

TORSO

stacked over

HIPS

(and if we’re standing) stacked over

FEET

While keeping everything stacked is absolutely correct when we’re sitting or standing upright, things get a little more tricky when we start to move. Let’s use bent over rows as an example. Our posture definitely matters! However, we can’t keep everything stacked when we’re bent over for the exercise. So how do we keep our posture in check?

We need to apply the purpose of keeping everything stacked when we sit or stand to the alignment of our body as it moves.

The purpose for keeping everything stacked is to maintain neutral positions of both the spine and pelvis.

Knowing this, we have a “north star” to guide us as we make sure we’re moving with proper form. In this 60 second video, I demonstrate several examples of how our posture and alignment can alter our movement patterns, as well as some subtle adjustments we can make to improve our movement patterns and ultimately improve the results we achieve from our workouts!