CHEK HEALTHY CORE CYCLE

DR. DIET:
START HERE
 Remove pro-inflammatory foods,  Avoid processed foods
primarily:  Eat organic, whole foods
1. Gluten  Eat according to Primal Pattern® Diet Type
2. Dairy  Drink ½ body weight (measured in lbs) in ounces of
3. Table salt water each day
4. Refined sugar

DR. MOVEMENT:
 Run the following core function tests:
1. Prone TVA Activation Test
2. Forward Bend Test
3. Lower Abdominal Coordination Test
DR. QUIET:
 Depending on your test results, perform:
 In bed by 10pm 1. 4-Point Tummy Vacuum
 8 hours of sleep/night 2. Lower Abdominal 1
 Remove all electronics from bedroom 3. Lower Abdominal 2
4. Lower Abdominal 3
 Avoid electronics & reading while eating

DR. HAPPINESS:
 Schedule personal time  Run a values audit –
every day where are you straying
 List your core values: from your values?
1. Personal  Re-integrate your life with
2. Professional your values (pick one to
3. Relationship start).
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1. Prone TVA Activation Test
A. Lie face down with a blood pressure cuff
placed under your belly button.
B. Exhale then inflate the cuff to 40mmHg.
C. Relax your body and draw your belly button
upward, off the cuff.
D. Do not let yourself cheat by pressing on the
floor with your shoulders, knees or feet, or
by tucking your tail under - simply draw your
belly button in.
The goal is to decrease the pressure in the cuff
by at least 10mmHg. If you cannot do that,
you will need to practice the 4-Point Tummy
Vacuum Exercise. Try this test each week until
you’re able to pass it.
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2. Forward Bend Test
A. Cut a section of string long enough to tie
around your waist. Stand upright, take a deep
breath and draw your belly button inward.
With your belly button drawn, tie the string
around your waist. It should feel tight if you
let your stomach hang out.
B. Place an object in front of you (a weight -
one that you can pick up comfortably, but is
not too light, is ideal!). Now bend over and
pick up the object. Repeat a few times and
notice what happens around the string.
If you feel the string around your waist
tightening or staying the same, your TVA is
most likely NOT activating. You should feel
the string loosen as you bend forward and
your TVA turns on to stabilize the spine as
you bend and lift the weight. If you did not
pass this test, practice the 4-Point Tummy
Vacuum and then progress to Swiss Ball Core
Exercises (you can find them on pages 132 -
135 of How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy!)
As your performance improves with the lower
abdominal exercises, you should practice
wearing the string around your waist in the
house or even at work. This will serve as a
reminder to properly activate your TVA before
picking up or moving any object. When this
becomes automatic, you can stop using the
string.
© C.H.E.K Institute 2017
3. Lower Abdominal Coordination Test
A. Lie on your back with your knees fully bent.
B. Place one hand under your lower back (or both if more comfortable),
then bring your feet off of the floor.
C. Tilt your pelvis backward and flatten your back against your fingers.
D. Hold pressure, keeping the bony prominences of your spine on your
fingers as you lower your feet to the ground.
E. Pay attention to the bones of the spine as they press your fingers, not
the muscles, for accurate testing.
4-Point Tummy Vacuum
A. Assume a kneeling position with your hips over your knees and your
shoulders over your hands. With your spine in neutral alignment, take a
deep breath in and let your belly drop toward the floor.
B. Exhale and draw your belly button in toward your spine, while
keeping your back in the start position.
C. Hold (with the TVA activated) for as long as you comfortably can.
D. When you need to breathe in, relax your abdominal wall as you inhale
and repeat the exercise for 10 repetitions.

If you cannot maintain the pressure of your spine on your fingers as

you lower your feet to the ground, you’ve lost the ability to coordinate
pelvic stabilization along with leg movement. This is a common cause
of low back pain. However, you can retrain your abdominal muscles by
performing Lower Abdominal 1, 2, and 3 on the next pages.

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Lower Abdominal 1
A. Lie on the ground with your knees bent and
feet flat on the floor.
B. Place a blood pressure cuff under your low
back, directly underneath your belly button.
C. Pump the blood pressure cuff to 40mmHg.
D. Exhale, draw your belly button in toward
your spine and gently increase pressure on the
blood pressure cuff by rotating your tailbone
toward the ceiling until the blood pressure
cuff reads 70mmHg.
E. Hold this position for as long as is comfort-
able, up to 10 seconds, then rest for 10 sec-
onds.
F. Repeat this 10 times.
G. While performing this exercise, try to relax
the entire body while holding the needle at
70mmHg.
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Lower Abdominal 2
A. Lie on the ground with your knees bent and
feet flat on the floor.
B. Place a blood pressure cuff under your low
back, directly underneath your belly button.
C. Pump the blood pressure cuff to 40mmHg.
D. Exhale, draw your belly button in toward
your spine and gently increase pressure on the
blood pressure cuff by rotating your tailbone
toward the ceiling until the blood pressure
cuff reads 70mmHg.
E. Raise one foot off the ground until your
thigh is perpendicular to the floor, keeping the
needle of the bp cuff at 70mmHg.
F. Place the foot back on the ground and per-
form the same movement with the other leg.
G. Alternate legs, performing 12-20 repetitions.
Lower Abdominal 3
A. Lie on the ground with your knees bent and
feet flat on the floor.
B. Place a blood pressure cuff under your low
back, directly underneath your belly button.
C. Pump the blood pressure cuff to 40mmHg.
D. With your knees bent, raise both legs off the
ground until your thighs are perpendicular to
the floor. The bp cuff should read 70mmHg.
E. Exhale, draw your belly button in toward
your spine and slowly lower one leg to
the ground while keeping the needle on
70mmHg.
F. Raise your leg back to the starting position
and perform12-20 repetitions.
G. If you have difficulty keeping the needle on
70mmHg, try using smaller leg movements.
H. When it becomes easier to perform the
exercise, straighten your leg for increased
challenge.
© C.H.E.K Institute 2017