Good!
Is the cracking sound in lower back normal when doing forearm planks?
I haven’t done it in a long while, and started doing it again yesterday. I think it might have the similar sound in the beginning when I first tried forearm planks over a year ago.
My back is now bothering me more, so I am back to planks and bird dog exercise.
At the end of June, I and my doctor came to the conclusion that I had a neuroma in the left foot. There aren’t knots, but when walking there is a feeling under the fingers, as if there is condensation, although you feel it isn’t. The pain is not constant when walking, the periods are very severe, and I limp. Sometimes fingers grow numb. My orthopedist recommended that I place silicone liner under the place where the pain usually begins, it’s worn on the second finger. But orthopedic insoles don’t interfere in any way. I wear some shoes. It’s also better to buy special shoes for walking or even running, the main thing is that the footsteps would be comfortable in it, and nothing would squeeze your fingers. I advise you to see the running shoes here https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-running-shoes-for-mortons-neuroma-reviews/ or here https://www.womentd.com/best-shoes-for-mortons-neuroma/
I’ve been using MyFitness Pay to log in calories and I’m learning so much! @MichaelNKat mentioned upthread about the comprehensive data base. I am shocked at how easy it is to use the search function and find an exact match or very close.
I’m never going to look at a small bag of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups the same again. I’d rather have a scoop of gelato.
I’m looking for a shoe to wear on summer hikes, and Zappos has delivered a pair of Altra Lone Peak 3.5’s. I’m wearing them around the house and I’m really liking the large toe box, zero drop but with cushioning, and set up to accept a summer/trail gaiter to keep out debris.
Saucony Peregrine 7 on super sale and also nice, but a little narrow in the toe.
@Hopeful820, the sound you describe is an indication of lumbar instability. What many people don’t realize is that the lumbar spine functionally is supposed to be stable with the thoracic spine being mobile but very often, there is a loss of thoracic mobility that results in dysfunctional compensations at the lumbar spine in an effort to regain mobility in the transverse plane of motion (think torso rotation). A plank puts stability demands on the lumbar spine but if your core is not strong enough, your lumbar spine will show signs (and sounds) of instability.
So when you do a plank, you want to engage all of your core muscles to both strengthen them and stabilize your lumbar spine. Firmly anchor the balls of your feet into the floor. Make sure your body is in proper alignment (think body like a surfboard). Keep your glutes squeezed hard (think apples, not applesauce), contract your belly button in towards your spine and imagine squeezing oranges in your arm pits.
Over the last 3 years I have contemplated getting certfied as a nutritional coach through Precission Nutrition but have never pulled the trigger on it due to the cost ($800). Instead, I decided to get certifed through ACE as a Sports Nutrition Specialist and have completed 2/3 of the work for that. I have felt two things missing from that though, not enough focus on effective coaching and no real time support systems for staying current with latest developments. So if anyone who peruses this thread has been involved with PN from the other end as a client being coached, what has your experience been like. Do you feel that you’ve received effective coaching, science based coaching that gets updated, has the coaching assisted you in achieving your goals? Did you participate online or with a live neighborhood coach? What were you charged and do you think it was money well spent that got you results that you weren’t getting from other approaches? Why did you choose to use PN coaching? Thanks for any insight you can offer that may help me in my deliberations!
Bumping up…spring MUST be on the way soon and hoping to hear more from people out and about doing physical activity and setting some new fitness/wellness goals. Or continuing the old ones. 
I saw today on the news that Saucony is releasing a limited edition running shoe in collaboration with Dunkin Donuts. The shoe looks really cute. They didn’t say (on the news) what model Saucony it is.
Still continuing my run streak and I’m 2 days away from a big milestone… I will earn a comma. On the negative side, I am SO tired of rain, cold and whatever weather doesn’t suit me. It makes it hard to stay motivated.
The irony! Running shoes and donuts - gotta love it - I know how I love donuts!!
I love that you are earning a comma.
I’m sure I’ll be whining about the heat soon enough but right now I’m whining that we aren’t going to see leaves on trees here in Northern Ohio until June at the rate we are going!
@MichaelNKat – there’s a lot of fruit in your planks lol! Seriously that’s very helpful.
Congrats on the comma, MOWC! I am also officially Tired of Winter. Especially now that it’s light out – I keep expecting balmy weather – but instead it’s freezing (like some crazy Norwegian Spring).
I’ve seen pictures of the Saucony Dunkin shoes - they are pretty cute! It’s the Kinvara 9. I also heard that they are already sold out! I didn’t realize how obsessive people get over the Boston merchandise. Brooks and Adidas both have Boston-specific models out. The Brooks have little lobsters on them. I like the Adidas ones - they have the Boston unicorn on the back. Oh, and I did see a picture of some running shoes from a British company (?) for the Brits who are running that had a picture of a horse and rider on the back and with the words “The British are Coming”.
Congrats on hitting that big streak milestone in a couple days! Super exciting!
The new place calls for a lot of functional exercise. Hauling weeds up the hill, beauty bark downhill. Lots of steps! I am making slow but steady progress reshaping my body back to where it is supposed to be after losing that pound. It took years for my muscles to get imbalanced, so I am not expecting instant miracles here. My PT is great. He is a strong believer that runners need to run. My new contraption, ZR8 is a huge help, too.
Day 1,000 of my running streak- averaged 5.2 miles a day, although I plan to let that slip a little bit going forward due to some travel that isn’t going to lend itself to longer runs. I’m happy that I have made it this far without an injury or illness severe enough to keep me from running. It will end- but not yet.
@MomofWildChild, that’s amazing! Great work.
MOfWC, I would rather run into my grave than be carried into it by others! 
JK.
CONGRATS.
The weight is finally coming off. I’m tracking my calories more carefully and cutting out all the “little” things. I tended to work late and then grab a snack, but I’ve stopped doing that.
I want to lose 9.2 pounds in 10 weeks and I think I can do it. I’m getting a waist back, hooray! DH is very encouraging and tells me I look very different.
Good work, @MaineLonghorn ! Keep at it.
Nice! You can totally do it.
@Classof2015 , planks are really a more complex foundational movement than one would think. And when you start putting together all the details that go into a proper plank, they are very challenging. What is often overlooked is that the plank, while tupically viewed as just a static functional movement pattern, really serves as the core foundation for a host of dynamic functional movements. Pushing, pulling, lunging, squatting and rotating all draw on the plank to maintain stability and avoid injury.
@MaineLonghorn , congrats on your successes to date. Keep going, you will get there.
@MomofWildChild , what can I say, you’re a machine!
And I pulled the trigger and registered for the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach certification program. It will probably take me 4 months to complete but it will be worth it.
Yes, planks are hard for me! At the gym, they’re always correcting my form. Either my butt’s too high up in the air or I’m tilted! My core is so weak. @MichanelNKat, are there things other than planks I could do at home on a daily basis to strengthen my core?