Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Health and Wellness Wednesday is BACK

Wednesday is BACK

Today’s focus is on the importance of core strength…..on and off the tennis court! Core is often construed as the proverbial six-pack, implying the inclusion of abdominals only. The following article, albeit quite informative, exemplifies this misconception. Core, in my opinion, includes the entire mid-section of the body and thus, the BACK as well. Given the angular momentum (the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia and its angular velocity) required on a tennis court, abdominal work must be supplemented with the building of back strength in order to attain ideal balance and TOTAL core strength.

Many of us, myself included, have a plethora of abdominal exercises in our memory bank and/or built into our weekly exercise regimen. The following links will provide you with an array of back exercises:

Physio Ball Exercises

Strengthen & STRETCH Your Back

Mayo Clinic – Back Exercises in 15 Minutes a Day

A quick search of the Internet will provide you with many more examples, exercises, videos, etc. Please email me with helpful resources that you come across.

In closing, think twice (abdominals and back) the next time you put work into your core!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

I was recently asked the difference between whole wheat and whole grain, and admittedly, did not know the answer. After a bit of research, I’m honestly still a tad confused but an attempt to disseminate below:

The Difference Between Whole Grain and Whole Wheat

Whole Wheat, Whole Grain and White Bread; What is the Difference?

A simple response in the second article referenced: “Whole wheat bread and whole grain are similar. The difference is in the amount of fiber. If you want to be healthy, choose the highest amount of fiber, lowest fat & sugar.”

In the end, my advice remains the same as it was two weeks ago: Ensure that the first ingredient is whole wheat flour! Or, a statement that it is made with 100% whole grain!

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