I know you've heard it over and over again, but I'm unfortunately going to say it again. I hope I don't offend you in the process:
Transforming your body (think getting rid of body fat) is 80% nutrition
Having a fit body (think being able to do the things you truly like and not risk getting hurt) is 70-80% core fitness
Sometimes people jump to conclusions, so let me be really specific so I don't get misquoted.
Yes, you can do less than 80% on your nutrition and still get results. The problem is I have only met a hand full of people that are willing to train that hard, or the person has incredible genetics and doesn't have to work that hard. And by the way, there are very few people in the latter group.
Most of us do have to monitor what we eat and how much. It's part of the process. If you want your body to change you have to do something different than you've been doing, to get results. Keep doing the same thing and expecting different results is . . . .
Well, you know what that's called.
So it stands to reason that if you want to avoid back pain, you're going to have to do something different than those monotonous crunches. Sure you'll feel a burn in your midsection, but that doesn't mean you're really training your core effectively. I fell asleep on my arm the other day and when I woke up it tingled. But I'm pretty sure that didn't mean I had trained my arm effectively.
If you haven't been training core and need some movements to help get you started, check out You Tube Channel. Or stay tuned because next month, each Friday, I'll be sharing with you some core movements using the Swiss Ball. It's a great next step after doing the one's listed on my channel.
Now, if you've been training core you already know the benefits and importance of doing those movements regularly. But once in a while it's nice to throw in a little variety to keep things interesting and motivating.
Here's another one to add to the list.