by Annie Vischer
This week we’re talking about The Oracle. Sounds rather enigmatic right? The Body Oracle Evaluation is one of the preliminary phases that kick start your time with the Bodyism team. It is aimed at identifying each person’s individual problem areas in terms of fat storage, which can often identify the reasons that they are storing fat, thus enabling them to properly adjust their daily routine for optimum results.
The programme also asses how you move instinctively when doing exercise. A trainer will be able to efficiently identify any imbalances or potential flaws in the way you hold yourself and move. This means that the team can tailor your exercises to the movements you need to improve or the muscles you need to develop in order to prevent future injury or problems.
I decided to start the year as I meant to go on with my first Body Oracle Evaluation. This began with a fat test straight after Christmas. Oh the horror! We then moved on to the movement assessment, which identified a slight A-symmetry in the way I exercise. Apparently this is very common with women, as we are more prone to developing an imbalance through everyday habits such as always carrying a heavy handbag on the same shoulder, and always crossing the same leg over the other when sitting down. This meant that my muscles on one side were slightly more developed than the same muscles on the other.
We also discovered that my core engagement was not as automatic as it should be. A very simple exercise was the most effective demonstration of this. I lay down on my back, arms by my side and toes pointing upwards. I was then told to bring my right leg up straight as far as I could. This I did, the results were less than impressive. Michael Tanner, Bodyism Gym Manager and my Body Oracle Evaluator then told me to relax the same leg but keep it straight as he moved it for me. Sure enough my leg went back a lot further than I felt I was able to move it myself. Michael told me that my body was flexible enough, but not engaging my core automatically meant that I wasn’t getting the most out of the exercises I was doing. He told me to try the same exercise myself, making sure to consciously engage my core beforehand. I did so, thinking about pulling the muscles in my stomach right through towards my back, et voila! All of a sudden my flexibility was back in the building.
Once the Body Oracle Evaluation was over I received a body blueprint, a report that detailed my problem areas and gave me nutritional advice, exercise solutions and supplement suggestions based on my unique assessment. Here’s what I have to work with:
Body Blueprint Summary
Body fat = 22.6% Aim = 16% – 18%
Body may be holding on to certain toxins and storing fat.
Aim = Increase protein intake by having a form of clean and lean protein with every meal.
Aim = Increase intake of foods that are rich in magnesium and zinc eg almonds, organic turkey and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale.
Aim = Increase intake of foods rich in anti-oxidants such as green tea and blueberries.
Aim = Increase automatic core engagement.
Aim = develop weaker side muscles.
So there we go! That is what the Body Oracle (in summary) has said that I need to concentrate on. Stay tuned for body fat updates. The core efficiency commentary starts here. It is always important to set yourself goals to keep the motivation going. We timed my plank in my last session, 1 minute and 5 seconds. Practice makes perfect! I’m looking to up this to three minutes over the course of the next three months. I mean, the world record for a static abdominal plank may be over 3 hours in total, but we shall just brush over that.
The following posts will tackle each aim individually, to find out I (and everyone else) can do or change to work towards them.