There is a question that keeps mystifying us. Why when you look through images of the core or stomach, do you find two things with regards to women? A pregnant woman or a woman with defined core muscles? Is there no in-between? Are we expected as women to either be pregnant or have a 6 pack? Things that make you go, “hmmm…?”
It’s become the definition of what makes someone look in shape. The flat stomach and washboard abs. However, are these “metrics” really a measure of what makes someone in shape? Are they even attainable for most? Is it important to understand the core? I mean we did create an entire company based on the core, so we definitely think so.
Society believes “the core” is the 6-pack when in reality it’s so much more. The core’s responsibilities include breathing, posture, stabilization, and generating movement. The core aids not only the health of our spine but the rest of our body as well. In order for us to attain the benefits of the core, we need to understand what the core is and how to really use it. Unfortunately, the fitness industry mostly focuses on the muscles that make up the 6-pack and those are the most superficial aspect of the core. If we only focus on the 6-pack, we completely miss the core muscles’ health benefits.
Did you know that you can have a 6-pack and not have a strong core? We have been fed lies that having washboard abs is something to aim for, allegedly, it’s the gold standard in fitness. In reality, everyone has a 6-pack, however, the ability to see your six-pack is not necessarily attainable for most women. A lot of whether or not you see someone’s abdominal muscles are tied to genetics and body fat. We may be able to attain the leanness needed to see our abdominal muscles but at what cost? For the majority of women, when they possess a body fat low enough to see their core muscles their hormones suffer.*
