We’ve all heard the rumors… Squatting is hard on your knees and absolutely terrible for your back, right?
In fact, I used to be one of those ‘experts’ who swore by this… Well intentioned of course, but poorly informed…
We just finished our annual 30 Day Squat Challenge and I’m so proud of everyone who participated all the way to the end! I’ve been sharing specific exercise videos on Facebook to help fix the most common problems people have…
Here they are all in one place:)
I bet if I asked you “What is more risky for your body, squatting or sitting?” you would say “well squatting, obviously.” And, I can understand why…
We’ve been taught that squatting is dangerous… a sure-fire way to hurt your back and knees…sitting, on the other hand, must be safe because, well, we sit all the time and nothing bad happens right?
Yet another myth we’ve been sold.
The Squat Challenge is back!
This month’s Wellness Group Challenge is to sit in the bottom of a full squat for time every day.
On the 1st (today!) you’ll squat for 1 minute, on the 2nd two minutes, etc… all the way to the June 30th when we want to challenge you to stay in the bottom of a full squat for 30 minutes.
If you want to improve your squat, start with mobility, not more weight.
Watch a toddler pick up a toy. Feet flat. Hips low. Back straight. No effort at all.
Now watch most adults do the same thing. They bend at the waist, reach with one arm, and push off a knee to get back up.
Same task. Very different body.
Somewhere between age 3 and 40, most of us lose the squat. It didn’t get harder. We just stopped doing it.
That matters, because the squat isn’t a gym move. It’s how we get out of a chair. Off the toilet. Up from the floor. It’s how we lift the laundry basket, the groceries, and the kid who fell asleep in the car. We do it dozens of times a day without a second thought.
How well we squat shapes how easily we move through every one of those moments.
In one study of more than 2,000 adults, the ability to sit down on the floor and get back up without using your hands was linked to how long people live.
