​1.       Stay Healthy
From protecting your vital organs to protecting your spine during everyday activities developing a healthy core is essential if you just want to be proactive and prevent injury or if you are already experiencing back pain and want to resolve it.  Before I would ever go to a doctor to be prescribed any medication, I would try these exercises over a period of time and see if they resolve the problem. Your core’s ability to brace and activate when necessary is essential to being healthy while maintaining an active lifestyle.

2.   Confident Posture
A well developed core will allow you to exude strength and confidence by the way you carry yourself.   First impressions go a long way and someone that carries themselves with great posture tells the world that you are “Fearless and Ready to Take on the World!’

3.  Look Good
Not only are you going to experience the health benefits of developing your core, but you are also going to reap the benefits aesthetically of developing your core.  If you have always wanted a well defined six pack This Is How You Accomplish it!


Below are some core stability exercises, with coaching cues and exercise prescription.  This will definitely be a resource that will help you achieve your fitness goals. There are some more detailed things that we can do for you in our online fitness training program click below for some more details.

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ELBOW BRIDGE PROGRESSION

ELBOW BRIDGE VARIATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS
Core stability is one of the foundations of all of my programming. All strength and power improves as your core improves. I start every client’s workout with some variation of core stability.

COACHING CUES (All exercises below)
1. Squeeze glutes  as tight as you can for every exercise
2. Draw in belly button and tighten stomach like someone is punching your core.
3. Body should be in line (don’t raise butt in the air or let sag, keep eyes to the ground to keep spine neutral)

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION:

Start with the ELBOW BRIDGE once you can accomplish 3 sets of 45 seconds(45s in rest between sets) move on to the next exercise. 3 sets of 30s-45s if both feet are on the ground.
3 sets of 20s-45s if one foot is in the ground.

Once you master one exercise progress to the next.
EASY TO HARD PROGRESSION:
1. ELBOW BRIDGE
2. 3 LIMB ELBOW BRIDGE
3. STABILITY BALL ELBOW BRIDGE
4. STABILITY BALL ELBOW 3 LIMB BRIDGE(STRAIGHT LEG)
5. STABILITY BALL ELBOW 3 LIMB BRIDGE(BENT LEG)
6. FEET ON BALL ELBOW BRIDGE
7. FEET ON BALL 3 LIMB ELBOW BRIDGE(LEG STRAIGHT)
8. ELBOW BRIDGE SHOULDER TOUCH
9. ELBOW BRIDGE ALT SUPERMAN

CLICK HERE FOR ELBOW BRIDGE PROGRESSION VIDEO

PUSH UP BRIDGE PROGRESSION

              
COACHING CUES (All exercises below)


EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION:

Once you perform your ELBOW BRIDGE PROGRESSION PROFICIENTLY then you move to PUSH UP BRIDGE PROGRESSION.

Start with the PUSH UP BRIDGE once you can accomplish 3 sets of 45 seconds(45 rest between sets) move on to the next exercise.

3 sets of 30s-45s if both feet are on the ground.

3 sets of 20s-45s if one foot is in the ground.

Once you master one exercise progress to the next.


PUSH UP BRIDGE VARIATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS

Squeeze glutes as tight as you can for every exercise
Draw in belly button and tighten stomach like someone is punching your core.
Body should be in line (don’t raise butt in the air or let sag, keep eyes to the ground to keep spine neutral)
Keep arms locked out

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION:
Start with the PUSH UP BRIDGE once you can accomplish 3 sets of 45 seconds(45 rest between sets) move on to the next exercise.

3 sets of 30s-45s if both feet are on the ground.

3 sets of 20s-45s if one foot is in the ground.

Once you master one exercise progress to the next.

EASY TO HARD PROGRESSION:

1. PUSH UP BRIDGE
2. 3 LIMB PUSH UP BRIDGE
3. STABILITY BALL PUSH UP BRIDGE
4. STABILITY BALL 3 LIMB PUSH UP BRIDGE(STRAIGHT LEG)
5. STABILITY BALL 3 LIMB PUSH UP BRIDGE(BENT LEG)
6. FEET ON BALL PUSH UP BRIDGE
7. FEET ON BALL 3 LIMB PUSH UP BRIDGE(LEG STRAIGHT)
8. PUSH UP BRIDGE SHOULDER TOUCH
9. PUSH UP BRIDGE ALT SUPERMAN

CLICK HERE FOR PUSH UP PROGRESSION VIDEO

SIDE ELBOW/ SIDE BRIDGE PROGRESSION

SIDE ELBOW AND SIDE BRIDGE VARIATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS
Side bridges are very beneficial when trying to develop you side oblique. Teaching your body to not rotate also protects your spine when your limbs are moving.  

COACHING CUES (All exercises below)
1. Start on your side on an elbow or hand and stack your feet one on top of the other and draw your toes in toward your shin.
2. Keep head in shoulders in line with spine
3. In the up position squeeze your glutes and keep stomach tight.

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION:

Start with the Side Elbow Bridge or Side Bridge once you can perform 2 sets of 30s each way proficient then you can move on to next exercise in the progression.

EASY TO HARD PROGRESSION:

1. SIDE ELBOW BRIDGE
2. SIDE ELBOW HIP LIFT(10ea way)
3. SIDE ELBOW BRIDGE WITH ABDUCTION LEG STRAIGHT
4. SIDE ELBOW BRIDGE WITH ABDUCTION LEG BENT
5. SIDE BRIDGE
6. SIDE HIP LIFT(10ea way)
7. SIDE BRIDGE WITH ABDUCTION LEG STRAIGHT
8. SIDE BRIDGE WITH ABDUCTION LEG BENT

CLICK HERE FOR SIDE ELBOW BRIDGE PROGRESSION VIDEO

HIP BRIDGE PROGRESSION


GLUTE BRIDGE VARIATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS
Glute Bridges are great core exercises to do on your lower body days.  This exercise gets your glutes and hamstrings activated before you back squats, front squat or deadlift.

COACHING CUES (All exercises below)
1. Start on your back
2. Get your hips tall or fully extended.
3. In the up position squeeze your glutes and keep your stomach tight.
4. Keep knees in line, don’t let them go in or out keep them in line.

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION:

Start with the Glute Bridge and when you can proficiently perform 2 sets of 45s then progress to the next exercise. On the single leg variation once you can perform 2 sets of 20s each leg then progress to the next exercise.

EASY TO HARD PROGRESSION:

1. GLUTE BRIDGE
2. SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
3. FEET ON BENCH GLUTE BRIDGE
4. FEET ON BENCH SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
5. SHOULDERS ON BENCH GLUTE BRIDGE
6. SHOULDERS ON BENCH SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
7. SHOULDERS ON BALL GLUTE BRIDGE
8. SHOULDERS ON BALL SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
FEET ON BALL GLUTE BRIDGE
FEET ON BALL SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE

CLICK HERE FOR GLUTE BRIDGE PROGRESSION VIDEO
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Coach Sharp spent 10 years in the field of collegiate strength and conditioning.  He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He was the Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach of Kent State University located in Kent, Ohio from 2012-2015.  Prior to Kent State, Coach Sharp spent the previous five seasons at the University of Arkansas as the Coordinator for Strength and Conditioning for football. While at Arkansas, Sharp helped the Razorback Football Team advance to the Liberty Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl.  In 2011, after defeating Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, the Razorbacks finished No. 5 in the final AP poll, the school’s highest ranking since 1977.
Prior to Arkansas, Sharp was a graduate assistant at the University of Louisville where he was hired as a full time assistant from 2007-08. Sharp helped the Cardinals advance to their first BCS game as they became Orange Bowl champions.  Sharp received his B.S. in sports administration from the University of Louisville in 2005. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He also holds Sports Performance Coach Certification through U.S.A. Weight Lifting (USAW).  Sharp played wide receiver with the University of Florida Gators(2001-03) before transferring to Louisville where he played defensive back from 2003-05. He was a member of teams advancing the Orange Bowl, Outback Bowl, Liberty Bowl and Gator Bowl. Sharp is a Jacksonville, Fla. native where he graduated from The Bolles School in 2001.  Coach Sharp has relocated his family back to Florida and is now dedicating his life to helping people achieve healthy lifestyles.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT COACH SHARP HERE 
START WINNING TODAY!  Call Coach Sharp (904) 234-0558
Instagram:  @Coachasharp5


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I have been utilizing a foam roller for pre-and post workout recovery for several years.  It was just a little over a year ago when Alyson Limehouse, the founder of Rollology™ Fitness, invited me to one of her classes.  I expected some stretching and using the roller for SMR or self-myofascial release massage but this class was way more than that!  

Alyson began the class with direction on proper posture and alignment.  While seated, the foam roller is placed behind you to help align your spine correctly.  Alyson gives tips on how to appropriately breathe through each posture and takes the time to correct your alignment.  One of my favorite sets of moves are the bride arms.  These small movements target that underarm flab and are much more difficult than they look.  We then transitioned to laying on top of the roller and focused on core strength and mobility moves.  These flowed into sets of leg toning and lengthening exercises.  The class also includes a set of foot and ankle exercises emphasizing the importance of strong, mobile and well aligned foot and ankle muscles, fascia and joints.

Rollology™ targets each and every part of your body helping to strengthen core muscles, improve alignment, posture and balance.  It also helps strengthen arms and legs, can aid in decreasing cellulite and promotes flexibility. Another plus, is that the Rollology™ Fitness program can be modified for the elderly, those with injuries or people recovering from surgery.  I recommend attending these classes as part of your workout or physical therapy routine on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.  Once learning how to perform the movements correctly, you can definitely do them at home or whenever it is convenient.  The beauty of this type of Pilates is that it can be done anywhere at any time.  

Another health benefit is the treatment of "Tech Neck".  Many of of us hold our heads forward and flexed down looking at our smart phones and laptops.  Looking at our devices we lean forward and look down bringing the weight of our head into a position that causes it to be heavier putting more stress and strain on our bodies.  Those prolonged periods of hunching over our screens are slowly causing our necks to stay in that more forward position.  The strained tissues lose their pliability causing a lot of pain and dysfunction. Some may even experience neck pain, headaches/migraines and numbness/tension in your fingers.  Tech neck is leading to an extremely unattractive posture called kyphosis or rounding of the upper back aka Dowager's Hump at a very early age!  Rollology™ exercises teaches the body to go back into a neutral spine while engaging the core to help support the spine, neck and head. This helps to strengthen the neck muscles along with the shoulders to help prevent the head from coming forward.  Your body will also be stretched to make the neck, head and shoulders more flexible.  

Rollology fitness classes help make it possible to do every day activities and sports with ease and reduced pain.  It is the perfect workout because it helps strengthen, stabilize, align, mobilize and stretch every part of your body in little over an hour.  Anyone can participate no matter what age, gender or fitness level. All you need is a mat and a custom designed Rollology™ Roller. The Rollology™ Roller is a medium density roller that is custom designed for Rollology™ workouts, physical therapy, before or after exercise, yoga and massage therapy.  "In 2018, you can do many forms of exercises that build and strengthen muscles but may also be setting you up for neck or back pain with surgery as the end result", says Alyson Limehouse.  "Rollology™ not only strengthens and lengthens muscles it also works out the body in proper alignment and neutral spine.  By focusing on alignment while exercising with Rollology, you can successfully workout to reduce the chances of surgeries in the future while creating a symmetrical and firm body."

Immediately following your first Rollology™ class, you can see and feel the difference in your posture and alignment.  I soon decided to become a Rollologist™ (certified licensed rollology™ instructor). It is important for me to be able to provide my patients and clients a well-rounded treatment plan.  Your feet and ankles are definitely your foundation for movement, but you do need a strong core, proper pelvic and spinal alignment and balance to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.  I currently provide private sessions with my patients and plan on teaching classes beginning spring/summer 2018.  For more information follow me on social media Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  
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I will continue where we left off from the last post on Prediabetes.  In order to reverse prediabetes, you must focus on decreasing body fat and improving your insulin sensitivity.  Before reading this post, I highly suggest you read the previous post Part I Prediabetes-A Reversible Disease.    I will discuss my recommendations on how to do this by using four categories;  diet, exercise, vitamins and supplements and stress reduction.   In this Part II section, I will discuss Diet and Exercise.  In Part III I will go over vitamins, supplements and stress reduction.  

Note: Please discuss with your physician or nutrition and training specialist, in regards to your particular medical conditions and health goals prior to making any changes in your current regimen.  

When patients are initially diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, their doctors may place them on medication to lower their blood sugar.  They will also discuss with them changing their diet and exercise habits or lack their of.  When patients come to me for an evaluation, I will ask them about their daily nutrition and exercise habits.  The extent of what most people know is that they need to lower their sugar and carbohydrate intake, lose weight and exercise more. This is a good start, however, many are confused and have no idea how to go about making these life altering changes.  

Diet 
​The last several decades have seen diet fads come and go.  A major diet craze, and one that is still quite popular, is the low fat and low calorie diet.  This diet is based on the old USDA food pyramid idea that every calorie and gram of fat is alike.  Ingrained in most Americans, is to eat less high fat foods regardless of the type of fat because it contains at least twice as many calories and eat more carbohydrates like cereals, breads and pasta because they contain less calories.  Recent research studies have proven that this is NOT true and in prediabetic and diabetic patients, higher carbohydrates are known to raise overall blood sugar levels.  

 In my experience, cutting calories and fat may help you lose weight in the short term but this type of restriction is usually short lived.  Many regain the weight and are back where they started again and again.  Studies have found that it is actually the type of fat, protein and carbohydrates as well as the ratio of each during meals and timing of meals that matters.  The most simple way to think about this is to focus on eating whole unprocessed foods.  Foods that are naturally found in nature such as fresh fish, meats, eggs, full fat dairy, vegetables and fruits.  Filling up on these at all of your meals will make you much less hungry and decrease cravings for sugary,high carbohydrate foods like breads, pastas and cakes.  Adding foods like nuts to eat as snacks and to use as flavor enhancers along with spices will also help you feel fuller and more satisfied.  

A great book to get you started is called Always Hungry? by Dr. David Ludwig.  Dr. Ludwig discusses how eating more good fats in a specific ratio to healthy proteins and carbohydrates can help sustain a healthy weight and lower insulin resistance.  This helps to reverse diseases like pre diabetes and obesity.  Dr. David Ludwig has written this book based on his clinical experience and research.  He is a practicing endocrinologist and leading Harvard Medical School expert and "obesity warrior"   Dr. Ludwig is said to have "rewritten the rules on weight loss, diet and health."  Always Hungry? includes a three-phase program that ignores calories and targets fat cells directly. The recipes and meal plan include satisfying and healthy high-fat foods (like nuts and nut butters, full-fat dairy, avocados, and dark chocolate), savory proteins, and natural carbohydrates. This is dieting without deprivation.   This is a great way to finally lose weight and help reverse prediabetes.  

Diet Tips:  
Skip artificial sweeteners.  Fake sugar can cause your blood sugar to rise just like real sugar.  In fact, anIsraeli study showed that ingesting artificial sweeteners might lead to obesity and related ailments such as diabetes.  The sweeteners appear to change the population of intestinal bacteria that direct metabolism, the conversion of food to energy or stored fuel.  Artificial sweeteners may favor the growth of bacteria that make more calories available to us, calories that can turn into belly fat and that dreaded muffin top! 

Don't eat directly before a workout.  If you ate within four hours of a workout you should skip that pre workout snack.  As I will discuss in the next section on exercise, when you workout your muscles use glucose from your bloodstream as fuel.  When you use up available blood sugar your body will burn fat for energy.  If you eat too much before you exercise your body will not need to burn as much subcutaneous fat.  Your body will instead use the glucose from the snack as energy and leave the belly fat behind.  

Sprinkle cinnamon on your food.  There is evidence to suggest thatcinnamon or cinnamaldehyde, increases fat burning potential and helps to normalize circulating levels of leptin/ghrelin ratio.  Leptin and ghrelin  help control appetite and energy.  This study also showed cinnamon reduced inflammation in mice fed a high fat diet, which augurs well for its anti-obesity role. 

Exercise
Go exercise!  This is easier said than done.  For most people it is hard enough just to get off the couch.  Figuring out what type of exercise works best for them is even more difficult.   There are several different types of exercise from walking, running, cycling or weight training just to name a few.  Recently, studies have shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) also called high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), helps to lower blood glucose levels and improves insulin sensitivity.  

This type of training involved repeated bouts of high intensity effort followed by varied recovery times.  According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM.org), the intense work periods may range from 5 seconds to 8 minutes long, and are performed at 80% to 95% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate, the maximum number of times your heart will beat in a minute without overexerting yourself. The recovery periods may last equally as long as the work periods and are usually performed at 40% to 50% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate. The workout continues with the alternating work and relief periods totaling 20 to 60 minutes.  HIIT training can easily be modified for people of all fitness levels and special conditions, such as those overweight or diabetic.

HIIT has been lab tested as a major component of fat loss around the belly.  As discussed in the previous post Part I Reversing Diabetes, belly fat or visceral fat can lead to diseases such as heart disease,cancer and diabetes.  According toa study from the University of New South Wales in Australia, women who did three HIIT workouts per week lost significantly more subcutaneous fat (the fat that you can see and pinch) then women who did only steady-state cardio. They also managed to improve insulin resistance.  
   
When developing a HIIT program, consider the duration, intensity, and frequency of the work intervals and the length of the recovery intervals. Intensity during the high intensity work interval should range ≥ 80% of your estimated maximal heart rate. As a good subjective indicator, the work interval should feel like you are exercising “hard” to “very hard”. Using the talk test as your guide, it would be like carrying on a conversation, with difficulty. The intensity of the recovery interval should be 40-50% of your estimate maximal heart rate. This would be a physical activity that felt very comfortable, in order to help you recover and prepare for your next work interval.  For more information on high-intensity interval training take a look here: ACSM.org.  

According to a study from November 2015 in the Obesity Review Journal; HIIT appears effective at improving metabolic health, particularly in those at risk of type 2 Diabetes.  High intensity interval training (HIIT) improves liver and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity.  HIIT lowers glucose levels by improving adipose and liver insulin sensitivity independently of changes in adiposity, adipose tissue inflammation or liver lipid content.   

Further evidence for high-intensity interval exercise effects on blood sugar control come from a study published in Metabolism from 2016.  This study showed that HIIT or HIIE is effective at lowering evening/fasting glycemic.  Exercise performed in the fasted state reduces postprandial glycemic (after eating a meal) increments to a greater extent than post-breakfast exercise does.  Basically, performing HIIT under fasted conditions may be very beneficial as it lowered most aspects of glycemia.  

Postprandial hyperglycemia (after eating a meal) is considered to be more strongly associated with insulin resistance at the level of muscles, whereas fasting glycemic reflects hepatic insulin resistance.  Therefore, some types of exercise may improve muscular insulin sensitivity but have little effects on hepatic insulin sensitivity.  Two exercise strategies to consider are high-intensity and fasted-state exercise.   We will mostly focus on HIIE.  

High-intensity interval training involves alternating between repetitions of high intensity exercise bits; ≥70% of maximum or peak oxygen consumption, or 80%–100% of maximal heart rate and lower-intensity recovery periods.  Brief bouts of high-intensity exercise allow for the breakdown of glycogen (glucose stored as energy in muscles) and increased uptake of glucose into muscles thus helping to lower overall blood glucose (blood sugar) levels and burn fat.  

Exercise Tips:
An easy do-it-yourself way to begin HIIT is by performing a combination of exercises including sprints and plyometrics such as burpees, squat jumps and jumping rope.  You must push yourself as hard as you can, recover and catch your breath, then push yourself as hard as you can again.  This is performed for multiple intervals.  For example go all out for 30-90 seconds then recover and catch your breath for about the same amount of time.  Repeat this sequence for approximately 20 minutes.  

A great way to decrease body fat around your belly is lifting weights while bracing your core.  Research published in the journal American College of Sports Medicine: Health and fitness showed compound exercises can elevate fat burn for up to 72 hours post workout and have a great effect on subcutaneous fat loss by increasing fat fighting hormones.  



Stay tuned to Part III-Prediabetes a Reversible Disease Coming Soon!