What does it mean to engage my core?
What exactly is core engagement?
You might have heard the term “core engagement” while at the gym, watching an exercise tutorial, working out with a personal trainer or while scrolling through social media. This is a fundamental term in the fitness industry that applies to basically every exercise.
When I first started working out the thought never even crossed my mind to engage my core. I did not know what that meant so therefore I could not engage my core. Now, I feel a major difference in my exercises when I engage my core. Engaging my core has brought more stability and control to my exercises. It has helped me to work the correct muscles and improve my mind to muscle connection.
What exactly does it mean to “engage my core”?
In its simplest terms, engaging your core means to brace your core, also known as the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, thoracic and cervical spine. In other words, it includes the middle and lower parts of your body which are the muscles in your stomach and some of your back. See below for a visual.
Now, it does get more technical than that, but in simple terms this is what your core is. Bracing your core means to simply tighten your core. Think of it as someone pouring a bucket of ice cold water on you. Your body will instantly tighten as a reflex. This is what you should do while you perform exercises. Whether you are performing a squat, a deadlift, a tricep dip, a plank, a push up or a lunge, you should be bracing your core.
How exactly do I “engage my core”?
Now that we have gone over the “what,” let’s get into the “how.” Whether you are a beginner or a pro, it can be tricky to brace your core during exercises. This is because along with bracing our core we must remember to breathe and make sure embracing our core is synchronized with our breath. Sometimes we just want to power through workouts or are confused how to brace.
There are two ways to engage our core. One way is drawing our belly button in towards the back of our spine. This is a popular method in the world of pilates. Another method is tightening our core and holding it. This does not mean we stop breathing. It means that the muscles of our core are tightened and braced, while we are still inhaling and exhaling. It takes practice and core training, but eventually it can be mastered.
When should I “engage my core”?
We should always be engaging our core during exercises and even in everyday life, like when lifting groceries and heavy packages. But the intensity of this engagement does vary during different parts of the exercise. We engage our core mostly during the concentric part of an exercise, or when a muscle shortens in length. For example, the concentric part of a squat is when we lower our legs as if we are about to sit down. This is when it is most important to brace and tighten our muscles so that we have stability and control during the movement. If we do not brace our core, we are at risk of not performing the exercise correctly or to the best of our ability. We can also be at risk for injury because we put pressure on our body that it cannot handle. This is why it is important to start slow and build a strong foundation.
Building a solid core
If I could go back in time, I would definitely prioritize building a strong core first. I am super grateful to have received a certification in personal training because now I am able to help others get off to a strong start on their fitness journey with the knowledge that I have. In the past, I was so excited to start working out that I would just do what I saw influencers doing online. I knew nothing about mind to muscle connection or embracing my core. I just thought I could mimic what I saw. I also did not listen to my body. There is a difference between something being challenging and something being forced. Don’t force yourself to complete an exercise you are not ready for. Don’t skip steps. Start small and work your way up. Here are some great exercises that will help you to build a strong core. I recommend completing 2-3 sets of each exercise at the end of your workouts until you can complete more and see improvements in your core stability and strength. Then you can add weights, reps and sets once you become more advanced.
Planking
Plank dips
Side planks
Dead hangs
Glute bridge
Push ups
Kettlebell swings
Deadlifts
These are simple exercises you can try without weights. Remember to perform these exercises slow and controlled if you are working on core stability. Take the time to build a strong core, even if it feels tedious at times. Your body will thank you!
My 21-Day Daniel Fast: A Journey of Faith, Healing, and Transformation
At the beginning of this year, two of my cousins and I decided to participate in a Daniel Fast. I had never done an extended fast before, let alone a Daniel Fast. For those of you who don’t know - a Daniel Fast is a spiritually-based fast where one intentionally chooses not to eat any meat, bread, dairy, coffee, alcohol, tea (some people still drink tea, but we did not) and any foods with artificial flavorings or preservatives. All of these foods are restricted and replaced with a diet of fruits, vegetables and water.
One Sunday I was visiting my cousin’s church in Harlem. The Pastor mentioned that the whole church was going to partake in a Daniel Fast at the beginning of the year in 2020. Something in me lit up and I felt that God was leading me to join. I found out later that my cousins felt the same way, so we decided to participate together.
Fast forward a few weeks later and it was officially Day 1 of our fast. I was so excited for what God was going to show me and teach me during our fast. I was excited to be able to go on such an exciting journey with the people I loved most and I was looking forward to what God was going to teach us individually and collectively.
Throughout the fast, we prayed every morning at 5:30am. If we missed a morning we would do our devotional at night or just double up the next day. We were on a 21-day plan from the YouVersion Bible App (this is a great app and resource for Christians and you should definitely download it if you haven’t already). Along with our morning devotionals we prayed on the weekends when we hung out, went to bible studies and watched alottttt of Sermons (I’ll copy a link to some of my favorites below).
All in all, God really taught us so much during our fast. He revealed to us things about our lives, gave us new ideas and most importantly, we were able to draw closer to our Father. The fact that we were doing it together was just icing on the cake.
I would have never been able to get through my fast without my cousins. We cooked for each other, bought each other food since we were eating the same things and regularly checked in with each other. I will always love and appreciate them for that.
I truly believe there are only certain breakthroughs, ideas and answers to prayers that only come from fasting. There are multiple examples of this in the bible. However, I don’t want to encourage you to fast just for answers to your prayers, I encourage you to fast to get closer to Your Father and to know His heart. After that, your life will never be the same.
Six things I learned while on my fast -
1. God is enough
I never believed that God was enough. Because of heartbreak from a relationship and insecurities about myself, I always felt empty and unfulfilled. I turned to God but it seemed like He was not enough to fill the void in my heart. Now I know that was a lie from the enemy and this fast showed me that. As I said, only certain breakthroughs can come from fasting and this fast released the breakthrough I was yearning for.
2. Faith over Feelings
Boy oh boy. I learned how to really have faith over my feelings. During this fast my feelings did not go away or magically disappear. They actually heightened. I was forced to stop running and face them and realized in the process that I was never alone, even when I felt alone. I learned to feed my faith with the Word of God and now I know the truth about who I am and who God is and I have stopped believing in the lies my feelings tell me.
3. Fasting is ESSENTIAL
Like I said, only certain breakthroughs/answers come through fasting. If you are a Christian and have never fasted before, I strongly encourage you to. You do not have to do a 21-day Daniel Fast. That may be too overwhelming if you have never fasted before. Instead, do a one-day fast. If that is too much, half a day. God will honor whatever you give Him.
If you have fasted before, or fast regularly, but have never done a Daniel Fast - please consider it. It will change your life!
4. I enjoy eating healthy/feel better when I do
So I definitely feel much better when I eat healthier - I have more energy, I sleep better and I have a higher tolerance for spending time with other people, aka I have a longer social battery. I make healthier eating choices to this day because I have incorporated meals/recipes/nutritional tips that I picked up on the fast. If you are struggling with low energy/trouble sleeping, try the fast and see if it helps!
5. I learned about the POWER in community
Like I said, I would have NEVER been able to do this fast without my family! Okay, maybe I could’ve, but it would have been so much HARDER. Because of them, I enjoyed my fast, I grew a stronger relationship with God and them and I learned how much we as humans can accomplish when we work together, especially when it’s for the Kingdom.
6. My vision for my life became more clear
Lastly, my vision for my life became much more clear to me. Before the Daniel Fast, I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but I was just sitting on all the ideas that God gave me and not putting any action behind them. But Faith without works is dead and the Daniel Fast helped me to get rid of a sluggard’s mentality and really start to work hard to build for the Kingdom.
How to lose weight
When it comes to losing weight, there is a wealth of information out there and it can be very overwhelming. It can also be very frustrating when the information presented to you does not work for you, no matter how hard you try to apply it to your life.
This is because everyone is different. We all have different physical anatomies and structures, lifestyles and health histories. So naturally what works for some will not work for all.
However, I do believe one thing to be true - there are basic and fundamental principles when it comes to losing weight that works for all of us. Keep reading to find out how to simplify your weightloss journey and sustain your results.
Manage your expectations
When I first started my weight loss journey, like many, I wanted to lose weight fast. Not only did I want to lose weight quickly, but I wanted to keep it off. Now, this is what we call the desire for instant gratification and unrealistic expectations. It is a very bad combination because it leads to disappointment, can brew resentment and have you spending a lot of money (I tried so many products in hopes that it would lead to the results I wanted, only to realize they did not).
I am grateful for my journey because it led me to where I am now. However, if I could give one piece of advice it would be to let go of unrealistic expectations. I am not saying that you can’t lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. What I am saying is to manage your expectations. You need to consider your lifestyle, your current habits and your personality to decide how you want to approach your fitness journey. You also want to keep the weight off. So again, manage your expectations and tailor a plan that is sustainable and you think is best for you.
This piece of advice may seem like it has nothing to do with losing weight, but it has everything to do with losing weight. Managing your expectations will cultivate a mindset of longevity. Instead of quitting at every minor obstacle or set back, you will keep pushing toward your goals because you know what to expect from your journey and have let go of unrealistic expectations.
2. Set challenging but realistic goals
When it comes to losing weight, have a goal! I don’t care how cliche this sounds, it is true and it works. You can tell yourself, “next year I am going to the gym and start eating healthy.” But what exactly does this mean? You need to be specific and set a SMART goal. Something that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. When I first lost weight in 2021, I wrote down very specific and personal goals. I followed the SMART outline.
Although it took me longer to reach my goal, I did not mind because as you can see below I stated that I was in this for the long haul and not for fast results. I was specific, I stated when exactly I planned to workout and I even made side notes to remind myself of the habits I wanted to change that would affect my goals (i.e. cutting down on drinking). When I set this goal I achieved it and enjoyed the journey along the way!
These pictures are 10 months apart. Not only did I lose weight, but I felt happier, healthier and more energized.
3. Go into a caloric deficit
It is important to go into a caloric deficit when losing weight. You do not have to stay in a caloric deficit long, nor should you. Three months is enough to start seeing results. A caloric deficit is when you burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. A caloric deficit is so helpful because it helps you to build a foundation of discipline, sacrifice and helps you learn healthier eating habits. When on a caloric deficit, make sure you consume high protein, low calorie meals.
4. Low calorie snacks
Another important habit that I incorporated on my weightloss journey was consuming low calorie snacks. The key to consuming low calorie snacks without feeling starving after is making sure they have a lot of fiber. These are things like homemade oat/granola bars, apples, trail mix, protein bars, etc. Fiber helps to keep you full for longer and foods that are low in calorie but high in fiber will keep you full and energized without gaining excessive weight. This diet change will help you to lose weight.
5. Lifestyle changes
Lastly, when you are losing weight, you want to make overall lifestyle changes. I have seen many people lose weight but are still very unhappy. This is because they still have very unhealthy lifestyle habits. Things like binge drinking, smoking, viewing exercise as a chore, gossiping, lack of faith, being in toxic relationships / friendships, technology addiction and not being active outside of the gym are all things that can sabotage your weight loss. True change starts within and will last with overall lifestyle changes, not just exercise and nutrition. If you want more guidance on how to live a healthy lifestyle, you can purchase my eBook, More Than A Diet: It’s A Lifestyle, here!
How to Wait on the Lord: A Biblical Guide to Patient Faith
"Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD".
Psalm 27:14
Growing up, Psalm 27 was a chapter in the bible that my parents read to my brother and I very often. As I got older, one of the verses that stood out for me is the last verse, which reads, “"Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD".
As a child, we wait for things like our first day of school to see our friends, Christmas and birthdays to receive our presents or for a specific day of the week when we know we will see one of our parents or our favorite cousin. These things can really seem like an eternity because of how anxious we are to experience them.
As we get older, the things we wait for are slightly different. We become excited for the weekend so we can rest from work. We are eager for pay day so we can pay our bills or buy an item we have been checking out for a while. We are excited to start our first day of work so we can start making money to provide for ourselves and our family.
As Christian adults things get even deeper - and harder. We wait for things that we have been praying to God for for what seems like an eternity. We wait for the right spouse, the right career path, the right car to come our way. The one we know deep, deep down is from the Lord.
As a Christian, waiting on the Lord is definitely easier said than done. It is also something that we can’t really avoid, nor should we want to. When God has us waiting for something, it is always, always, always for our good. When God has not granted us a blessing yet that we know in our heart and soul He has promised us, it usually means he has us waiting and for good reason.
During our waiting seasons, God is often times developing our character, preparing our hearts and minds, along with those around us, for the blessing(s) that He plans to bless us with. Just because we are waiting does not mean we are being punished or that the blessing is no longer on its way. Waiting simply means that God has us in a season of preparation.
Now, I know first hand that this is easier said than done. Trust me, I know! I also know that often times it does not seem practical. You may be asking yourself,
“How exactly do I wait on the Lord?”
“How do I know if I am in a season of waiting on the Lord?”
“What am I supposed to do while I wait on the Lord?”
“How do I know when the wait is over?”
All of these are completely valid questions. They are questions that I have had and still ask God because each waiting season is different. So, I wrote this blog post because I want to help you to understand what it means to wait on the Lord, how to wait on the Lord, how to know you are waiting on the Lord and when the wait is most likely over. I’ll also be sharing some bible verses to meditate on as you wait for the Lord. Ready? Let’s go!
How do I know if I am waiting on the Lord?
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
It can be tricky to tell if you are waiting on the Lord or if He is waiting on you. Waiting on the Lord definitely requires prayer and discernment. It never hurts to simply just ask the Lord - “Lord, am I waiting on you or are you waiting on me?” This is one way to know if you are waiting on the Lord. After you have prayed, take some time to be still before the Lord to hear his answer and most importantly, read His word! God speaks to us through His word. That is how we hear from Him. If you feel like you are not hearing from God, you probably are not reading your bible.
Another way to know that you are waiting on the Lord is when you have done everything that you can spiritually to receive a specific promise, desire, outcome or answer to your prayer and you still have not received it. Take inventory in your own life to see if you have done everything you can - have you prayed continuously? Have you fasted? Have you sought wise counsel? Have you repented? Have you declared and decreed over and over? If you have and the answer to your prayer has not come to fruition, this mostly likely means the Lord just wants you to wait.
Now I want to be very, very clear about some things - the Lord is not a genie and there is no perfect formula to get what you want from Him. I am not saying to do all these things just to get a specific outcome from God. We should be doing these things primarily to have an intimate relationship with God, not to receive things. However, we know that certain promises are from God and can come to fruition when we take action. I just want to make sure our heart posture is in the right place as we take these actions.
Lastly, you know you are waiting on the Lord if what you are waiting for aligns with His will but it still has not happened yet. Sometimes we are waiting on things that are not a part of God’s will for our lives. This type of waiting can be in vain. However, when something aligns with God’s will for our lives, like the salvation of a family member or friend or freedom from addiction, then we can be assured it will happen in God’s timing as we press forward.
How do I wait on the Lord?
And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
Isaiah 30:18
Some people think waiting on the Lord means a period of inactivity. However, waiting on the Lord means taking action both spiritually and physically. It is not a passive activity. Here are some practical ways to wait on the Lord:
Wait on the Lord with expectation.
Waiting on the Lord includes having an attitude of expectation. Webster dictionary defines the word expect as a verb. A verb is an action. Webster dictionary also defines the word expect “to consider probable or certain.” it also means to “anticipate or look forward to the coming or occurrence of.”
This means that the same way that we wait in anticipation for our Amazon packages and our paychecks is the same way we should look forward to God’s blessings! All of God’s promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). This means if God said He will do it, He will do it! We should wait with excitement and anticipation for the promises.
Take action
As you wait for the Lord, take action! If you are waiting for the salvation of a family member or friend, don’t just pray for them, make it a goal to take them out to eat once a month to plant seeds of faith and preach the gospel to them. If you are praying for freedom from addiction, fast, pray, go to counseling. This applies to prayers for healing as well. If you are praying for healing from heartbreak, go to therapy. It may be outside of your comfort zone but it is your responsibility to partner with God because He sure is doing His part, even if it does not look like it! If you are praying to lose weight, go workout! Pay for a trainer if you have to. Whatever you are waiting for, I guarantee you can always take action along with prayer.
Wait on the Lord in obedience
Lastly, waiting on the Lord in obedience is very important. Obedience does not mean that we are perfect or that we do everything right. Obedience means that we surrender our all to God everyday. Obedience means walking in His ways and following His commandments. Obedience is not trying to figure it out on our own or just practicing good habits. Obedience means praying without ceasing, surrounding ourselves with a godly community, reading our bible often and attending church, conferences, mission trips, jubilees. These all encourage us and feed our spirit, which in turn leads to true love for God and obedience to Him. we should not expect to live in the fullness of God’s blessings while living in disobedience. If you are living a sinful lifestyle, repent and turn towards the Lord.
When is the wait over?
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
Isaiah 60:22
Often times we know when our wait from God is over when we have been preparing and praying for tangible things - like the closing on the sale of a commercial property for our business, an engagement to a spouse, a positive pregnancy test, a new job offer. However, it’s not always so easy to tell with intangible things. Things like waiting and being anxious to speak with someone about a sensitive subject but the Holy Spirit stopping you. Things like wanting to quit a job but you know God will not honor your decision. Things like wanting to move but not having the green light from God.
These things are more tricky to discern when the wait is over. Although tricky, it is not impossible. We are able to receive discernment and clarity from our helper the Holy Spirit. Many times the Spirit will send signs as “yes” or “no.” Sometimes as we wait, the Lord brings the answer to directly in front of us. Maybe you have been waiting to speak with someone about something but the Lord tells you the time is not right. As you wait and keep praying, this person may come to you and initiate a conversation or apology without you having to do anything!
That is just one example of how we can be assured the wait for certain things is over.
All in all, keep praying, keep trusting the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. And remember, they that wait on the Lord, the wait is never in vain!
Bible verses about waiting on the Lord -