PANDEMIC DIARY

“CORE” THIS!’

AUGUST 27, 2020

A day cannot go by without someone referencing “CORE”. ‘Core’ this. ‘Core’ that. I am getting a little sick and tired of hearing about core. There has been enough citings about core over the past half century or more before this new vernacular application of core, which really brought core to common usage. Examples:

CPU : Core Processing Unit — [technology] A core, or CPU core, is the "brain" of a CPU. It receives instructions, and performs calculations, or operations, to satisfy those instructions. A CPU can have multiple cores.

Core [geology] — The central or innermost portion of the Earth, lying below the mantle and probably consisting of iron and nickel. It is divided into a liquid outer core, which begins at a depth of 2,898 km (1,800 mi), and a solid inner core, which begins at a depth of 4,983 km (3,090 mi).

Core [banking; finance] — Core Banking System is a back-end system that processes daily banking transactions and posts updates to accounts and other financial records. Core banking systems typically include deposit, loan and credit processing capabilities, with interfaces to general ledger systems and reporting tools.
Core Area [zoological] — Part of a range in which an animal or group of animals may rest securely, in which young may be raised, and to which in some species food may be taken to be eaten.

Core [horticulture; pomology] — The core is the fibrous seed containing center of some fruits.

Core [psycho-spiritual] — an individuals’ core is the essence of a person and how they treat the world around them.

But, what put me over the edge was this new core entering the picture over the past 15 years or so. Where none of the above made me relate on a personal level, this new core reference made me feel inadequate, insufficient, like I’m not working hard enough, seemingly always just under the mark. The core I am referring to falls into the category of health and fitness. Those perfect, youthful, attractive specimens that possess the strength, mobility and agility to contort their bodies into odd poses and movements designed to strengthen your core.

A variation on The Plank

Your core is made up of many muscles, including your rectus abdominis (what you think of when you think "abs"), transverse abdominis (the deepest internal core muscle that wraps around your sides and spine), erector spinae (a set of muscles in your lower back), and the internal and external obliques (the muscles on the sides of your abdomen).

As a young man interested in developing my body strength and conformation, I read ‘muscle’ magazines and learned I possessed arms, legs, biceps, triceps, shoulders, upper back, lower back, ham strings, quads, etc. I had body parts, all of which needed attending to. Each of which was distinct; yet, each of which belonged to a muscle group. There were exercises called: bicep curls, triceps extensions, pull-ups, chest presses, knee bends, and shoulder shrugs. Exercises named after the part of the body being enhanced.

Today, you have core-strengthening exercises called: Planks; Panther Tap; Butterfly Sit-Up; Dead Bug; Half-Kneeling Wood chop; High Boat to Low Boat; Jackknife; Wheelbarrow. Then, there are yoga ‘poses’ for core: Cat; Crane; Dolphin; Happy Baby; and, let us not forget Downward Facing Dog.

These are insanely difficult poses and movements that require an initial core strength to even initiate them.

“My friend tried to convince me that yoga is a workout...
I told him it’s a bit of a stretch.”

I grew up having a beautiful, medium build. My proportions were admirable. That’s what I was told, not how I felt about my body. I felt I looked like the proverbial 90-pound weakling who got sand kicked in his face. I had more of a swimmer’s physique. I would never be…could never be…muscle bound. This Jewish boy was never meant for intense, repetitive physical labor. I was too mental, [and I don’t mean that as a compliment]. I had to fight through my resistance to put together anything resembling a full workout. “It was a time in my life when my favorite exercise was chewing.”

Truth be known, I am in awe of this new generation of fitness conscious young men and women who are able to go to the gym with their iPhones and workout with an online instructor by themselves, executing these sophisticated exercises and physical workouts.