The $5 Turnover Box

Taco Bell calls their $5 box of poor nutrition a "Touchdown." I call it a turnover.

Yeah, I know, Taco Bell's  largest demographic is boys under age 18. But, we do have a youth obesity issue. And I saw a post where a high-school athlete thought consuming this box of..."food" was OK since it comprised only 1/3 of his daily caloric requirements. What? Does his coach or trainer not educate him about what good athletes put in their bodies? See: Terrell Owens:-Salmon and asparagus.

At about 1800 calories, 70 grams of fat, 247 grams of carbs, and 4080 mg of sodium, the turnover box  is chock-full of badness. For a 30- year old, 180 lb. man who is lightly active, the box supplies 70% of his daily caloric needs. Plus, too much fat, waaay too many carbs, and 1.7 times the RDA for sodium intake.

Such a deal!

If you have to go to Taco Bell ( in some weird place where there are only Taco Bell's), at least get something from the Fresco menu . It might save you from fumbling away your health.

Getting to the Core

You are probably as sick of hearing about "core" training as I am. It is important, but most people have a mistaken idea of what the "core" really consists of. It's more than just your abdominal muscles.

The core consists of several muscle groups which flex the lower trunk, extend the lower trunk, and stabilize the trunk. Most people overtrain the flexor muscles, while under training the other groups. Muscle stabilization in the trunk is key to preventing low-back injury.

As with most everything,a balanced core program will address all of the muscle groups involved, not just the "6-pack" superficial muscles of the abdomen.

Over a series of posts I will address the muscle groups and exercise prescriptions in detail.True core training develops stability and mobility in the appropriate parts of the body.

 One key idea I want to leave you with is that you are doing too many "crunch" exercises and too many core exercises lying on the floor.

Try this until next time: hold a weighted barbell with arms fully extended overhead. Pack down your shoulders for stability and rotate ( walk around) in a tight  circle for 30 seconds. Repeat.

Don't forget to spot yourself or you'll get dizzy!