Bracing through Movements
Today, we are talking about engaging our core without squeezing our core, and what we mean when we say engage through your exhale.
So when you inhale, your stomach and your back should expand, and you should feel your ribs move slightly. You should feel a little lowering in your pelvic floor. When you exhale, your stomach, back, and ribs should come in, and you should feel your pelvic floor lift.
So when I say exhale, engage your core. When most people engage their core, it’s a squeezing of the stomach, right? They squeeze, and they hold it during the workouts, and there's a time and place for Valsalva. Where you're holding your breath to get through the movement, but I want you to breathe through the movement. So when we inhale and go to exhale, you're keeping that engaged. You just have to make sure you’re not squeezing your core or glutes, we're breathing through our movements. And actively keeping the unnecessary pressure away from our public floor and allowing movement in our core and our ribs.
Takeaways
Inhale into your ribs, belly, and back. Inhaling through your nose.
Exhale while thinking of an elevator bringing the air up from the pelvic floor (belly should flatten from the bottom up)
Begin movement and continue to breathe without losing the full engagement.
Watch the related video for visual cues.
