Back when I lived and played rugby in Hong Kong I used to see an acupuncturist in an office based in the middle of Hong Kong, Central. He was an Australian born Chinese, who learned his trade in Australia and practiced in Hong Kong. He was one of the best acupuncturist I had seen, and I had seen my fair share! In his waiting room, there was a poster that asked, "is your center, centered?" I always wondered what, exactly, that poster meant. I never asked the acupuncturist the meaning behind the poster - mainly because I thought I should be smart enough to figure it out on my own - but for as long as I sought treatment I always wondered what it meant to center your center. I realize this is all very riveting stuff but when you're twenty-three, living in a foreign country and having the time of your life, it is only during those quiet moments, waiting for treatment, that you have the time to ponder all the big questions like, is my center, centered? As well as age old questions like, who am I playing this week? What extra training sessions should I do? And a personal favorite of mine, what day is it? As the years went by I finally figured out exactly what day it was, but from time to time my mind would still drift back to the one unanswered question, "is your center, centered?"?

I'm now thirty-five, happily married and father to a beautiful baby boy. Nowadays I find myself pondering big questions like, what should I cook for dinner? Does Aiman need his nappy changed? And did I remember to record The Daily Show? Yes, the pace of life has slowed down somewhat, but it is in this slowing down that I finally began to find the answer to the question posed over a decade ago - is my center, centered?

Immediately after the surgery on my back I couldn't stand for very long before the pain kicked in. I spent the first week after surgery lying in bed or on the couch, I would have to roll onto my side and push myself up with my arm just to sit up. If I needed to stand, I would have to take a breather in the sitting position then squeeze my abs to brace my back before attempting to get to my feet. Unable to do much lying flat on my back, I practiced squeezing my abs in a bid to build strength in my core, when I started walking again (which was more like a slow shuffling), I made an effort to pull my shoulders back and squeeze my abs while I walked. I began to notice that I was actually getting stronger, so I practiced squeezing my abs while driving, sitting, lying in bed and during just about every other activity I did throughout the day. I knew if I was going to make a full recovery I needed to exchange old bad habits for new good ones - trust me, after you have major back surgery you are starting from rock bottom and I had nowhere to go but up!

One of the new habits I got into was squeezing my abs during just about every kind of physical activity I did. I have made significant improvements in my posture and my lower back is much more supported - all from just squeezing my abs - I did not do a single sit-up or crunch. The many benefits of a strong core are what have caused me to be such an avid supporter of a regular yoga and pilates practice. I believe that all athletes - particularly young athletes - should work yoga and pilates into their regular training regimen. I know this might be a tough sell ... I remember being a young man in a big city and the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a yoga class harnessing my chi, but if all athletes viewed yoga and pilates as just another aspect of cross-training I know they would be stronger, more balanced and less prone to injury.

It took me over a decade but I finally understand what my acupuncturist's poster meant. A strong core is essential to an injury and pain free body -- it only took a debilitating injury, years of pain and major surgery for me to finally center my center. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and start working on centering your center. Now focus and start squeezing those abs!