The Big 4
Health, wealth, love and happiness are the 4 cylinders of life that I consider to be the most important. I assimilated these four nouns to the “core” on our bodies and how they serve as a cylinder to help us stand tall as well as move throughout life. Lack of function in these four muscles (rectus abdomius, internal/ external oblique’s, transverse abdomnius, Latissamus Dorsi/Quadratus Lumborum) can relate to physical pain or other physiological problems.
I’ve broken down each group of muscles and integrated them into health, wealth, love and happiness as these 4 also work as a team to allow us to move through life. I also mention how, if you’re lacking in any of these areas, how it can be detrimental on a physiological level to our body and life.
Health (Rectus abdominus)
The rectus abdominus muscle makes up of what people see as the “6 pack” set of muscles on our abdominal region. Consider these as the “flashy” set of muscles. Essentially, the 6 pack is a flat belt of muscle/connective tissue that starts form the sternum and connects to the pelvis. Without this band, we would not be able to perform a leg-hip raise or a “crunch” as the connection between our upper and lower torso would not be there.
I like to pair this rectus abdominus muscle with the “health” category of our lives because its he flashy set of muscle, Its also what everyone sees when we take off the shirt in a public setting. Other people can see our “health” through our bodies, as we own it 100%.
Ive found that when stress arises, body odor starts smelling differently. This happens because hormones our out of line and sweat glands are pretty much saying “its time for some adjustments”. When stressed, the apocrine sweat gland (found in armpits and genital region) gets activated when body temperature rises. Nutrients, often times make apocrine sweat more appealing to “body odor causing bacteria” which causes the difference in the smell of sweat when stressed.
On the other hand, when someone starts sweating during their amazing home exercise program, the sympathetic nervous system gets activated and eccrine glands go to work. These are known as the “good” type of sweat, which sends water to the surface of the skin in order to control body temperature. Training can be whatever we make it! It could be doing a 25-minute HIIT circuit (including dynamic warm-up), skateboarding for an hour, playing soccer with friends for 2 hours, or going on a weekly log run/hill sprints could all be examples of a variation of dynamic training. This style of training does helps get us back to “autonomic tone” (balance of our general activity rate)
Wealth (Internal/External Obliques)
Internal oblique’s run from our rib cage as it wraps around the outer pelvis (Iliac crest). The external oblique muscles run diagonally across the ribcage to the iliac crest (our torso). Each set of oblique muscles runs to the main source, the pelvis. I look as the pelvis almost as I see money in everyday life. We need it to get around.
After oxygen, nothing in life is free. (Thank you trees :D) After oxygen, we need water, then food then shelter. All of these unfortunately cost some sort of money In the world we live in today. Money is at the root of almost everything we need to prosper in todays world, at-least here in the United States.
Without the internal/eternal oblique muscles we literally would not be able to expand our diagram in order to breathe the free air thats given to us daily. These opposing forces are involved in reducing our upper chest cavity volume as we exhale. The diaphragm shrinks as the chest cavity is pulled down to increase lung size. We need both to survive.
Love (transverse abdominus)
Known as the “corset muscles”, these lovely set of muscles are the deepest of our abdominal muscles. When I say deep, it literally wraps around the spine to serve as more of a stability/structure to keep what’s arguably, the most important structure in our body, the spine, nice and secure. These four muscles support our breathing process by pulling the abdomen inward and allowing the continuation of life to happen. The muscles also serve purpose to things such as vomiting, urination and childbirth. Without these muscles, we literally would not be able stand upright and walk.
I’ve found that when my partner and I have arguments, my overall way of going through life is distracted. I cannot think straight and my entire mood towards everything is crappy. When something or someone has been around for weeks, months or years it builds subconscious trust that provides ease to our subconscious minds. Without that comfort feeling, we tend to feel lost and often times cannot think straight.
Happiness (Latisamus dorsi/Quadratus Lumorum “QL’s”)
Many may argue that the QL doesn’t make the cut for being considered a true “core” muscle. The QL’s job is to simply connect the pelvis to the spine as well as allowing us to extend and contract the lower back. When talking bones, many of us consider the spine as the most important set as it connects to the strongest muscle in our body, the brain. If areas in the lower back (erector spineas) are weak, this may cause overuse or strain on the QL muscles. This muscle fatigue can lead to a breakdowns or “lower back spasms”.
Claiming the to be the “wings” of the body, the latsiumus dorsi muscle group serve as the largest muscles in the back. These groups of muscles connect our lower spine to the ribcage as it helps extend our back and slight rotation of the shoulder. Lack of these muscles can make it very tough to do most things that make us happy in life. (Skate, surf, bike, ski, climb, football)
Deep down, I feel that we all know exactly what makes us happy as people. Whatever our hearts desire, we usually tend to incorporate it somehow in our lives. For example; yoga, checking instagram, playing “Spyro” on PlayStation, or just eating a Twix bar. Everyone gets off on something different. I feel that it’s ONLY NECESSARY TO CHANGE HAPPINESS WHEN it’s affecting health, wealth or our love in any way. We can pretty much rewire our brains more towards the route to what fulfills us more on many levels.
If this cylinder or groups of muscles are deprived in anyway, the internal, and sometimes external quality of life goes down dramatically. A very unmotivated and “not fun at all” approach is a tough to place to be. Sometimes we have to know that the juice is worth the squeeze and have to go through what’s necessary in order to feel happy in the long run.
Pro Tip (Get priories straight)
1. Write down priorities on a piece of paper (Being dead serious with no judgment from others)
2. Make a commitment (not a choice) to take care of these each day (in that order)
3. Stay consistent for 7 straight days then make slight adjustments after that 7 straight day span
