Making Sense of Discomfort

The Core Program: Fifteen Minutes a Day That Can Change Your Life
by Peggy Wachterhauser Brill, P.T.

(Page 5 of 5)

The Third Core Goal: Making Sense of Discomfort

I've heard so many variations on this theme. Perhaps you are bothered by an ache in your side that just won't go away. After a couple of weeks the bloating and distress prompt you to make an appointment with your doctor. After looking you over, she recommends a few diagnostic tests. When they come back normal and you tell her you're still not feeling right, she recommends one or more invasive tests. (It is critical not to overlook a potentially serious condition. All my patients have proper screening to rule out any pathology causing uncommon pain.)

One week and a couple thousand dollars later, you get the great news: There's nothing wrong with you. But, while you heave a sigh of relief, you still don't feel very good. The physician's suggestion to try to minimize stress seems like a good idea, but you wonder if that will really help what is bothering you.

From your doctor's point of view, "something wrong" means a clearly defined illness or injury. These are the organic dysfunctions mainstream medicine looks for and knows how to treat. Unfortunately, when no such problem can be detected by tests, the patient falls into a "gray" area. What is bothering you is caused by a problem outside the doctor's range of expertise.

If this is the situation you find yourself in, my program may be able to give you the help you need. Many "gray" problems are caused by a problem at the core - which is my area of expertise.

First, take the self-tests on pages 27-31 to determine whether your core muscles are weak. Then start doing the Core Foundation exercises and stick with them for at least three weeks. In as little time as a week you'll start to feel better and experience major reductions in discomfort - and a major boost in energy and well-being. And soon you will discover that you want to keep doing the exercises, so that you can keep enjoying their benefits for as long as you live.

This is a program that women of all ages can use. Even if you're so weak that all you can do at first is the Head-to-Toe Prep, you'll find it worthwhile.

The Fourth Core Goal: Providing Relief from Injury and Illness

In addition to treating all kinds of sports injuries, I have had great success in helping patients with many types of physical disorders. If you have any of the following chronic or even life-threatening ailments, the core exercises can boost your available strength and stamina.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cancer, including postmastectom
• Diastasis recti
• Fibromyalgia
• Hiatal hernia
• Lymphedema
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Scleroderma

Monica, 52, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia three years ago, has benefited greatly from the Core Program. "I began with the first exercise of the Core Program - the Head-to-Toe Prep - and did it for three weeks. Then I was able to do the rest of the exercises - I could even do them twice a day! Before I started the exercises I could sit and work for only two hours; the pain in my shoulders and hips was that bad. Now I have a lot more stamina - and comfort."

The Core Results

In addition to getting quick relief from aches and pains, my patients have reported better digestion, reduced bloating, more refreshing sleep - and even better sex! Add an improved ability to relax and you have everything you need to feel great.

I am also going to give you, a woman just like myself, a formula for well-being that includes:

• a head-to-toe workout you will not find in any other book

• information you need about avoiding the potentially harmful recommendations found in many other books and exercise videos

• a program to help keep building strength and flexibility, even as you grow older

• the facts about what injuries women are most likely to suffer and what you can do to prevent them

• the means to relieving physical stress, pain and discomfort that has no underlying pathological cause

• confirmation that those aches and pains are not "all in your head" - even if traditional medicine doesn't acknowledge them

• the reassurance that you can feel better than ever with each passing year

Ultimately, when someone asks you how you feel, you won't hesitate to answer, "I feel great, right down to the core!"

Before You Begin

If you're eager to start the Core Program, you can go directly to chapter seven, "The Core Foundation," which is the basic program I give to all my patients. Even if you pass all the self-tests, do the Foundation program for a minimum of one week before progressing to the Intermediate Core.

If you didn't pass all the self-tests, I recommend doing the Core Foundation for three weeks. After that, you can, if you wish to increase the intensity of the workout, progress to the Intermediate Core, which is described in chapter eight. Then, after another three weeks, if you feel you can do all those exercises with ease, you can opt for the Ultimate Core, the most intense version of the Core Program, described in chapter nine.

If you'd like more information about the science behind the Core Program, how I arrived at it and how to get psyched for doing it, read the following chapters, too:

In chapter three, I'll tell you about my own physical journey, which led me to the Core Program.

In chapter four, I'll talk about posture and how the Core Program helps to realign the body.

In chapter five, I'll give you an easy-to-follow owner's manual to your musculoskeletal system.

Then, right before the Core Programs begin, I'll provide a section on how to motivate yourself to get started. After you've begun, you won't need any motivational pep talks. The way you feel will provide you all the motivation you need!

Following the Core Program chapters, you'll find two more:

Chapter ten shows you the best way to perform the weight-training exercises that many women do in addition to the Core. These exercises can enhance the effectiveness of the Core Program - and vice versa - if you do them correctly. But they can also cause injuries if you don't. And then there are exercises that shouldn't be done at all - especially by women. This chapter gives you lots of gym "do's" and "don'ts" to make your workouts safe and maximally beneficial.

Finally, there's a question-and-answer chapter based on queries I've gotten from many of my patients, which will probably clarify issues you've been wondering about, too.

Copyright © 2001 by Peggy W. Brill, P.T.

About the Author

Peggy Wachterhauser Brill, P.T., is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. Peggy has a private practice in midtown Manhattan and also maintains an office in the corporate headquarters of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. Her expertise is sought after by the Duke University men's basketball team, top executives all over the world and leading physicians at the Hospital for Special Surgery and several other major medical centers. Peggy lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.