Women Aging Better

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The Benefits of Squats

When we sit down and stand up, we are essentially doing a squat.

If we pay more attention to our form while standing and sitting, AND deliberately practice different types of squats, we dramatically increase the strength of our lower body and core.

How to do a squat with good form:

Keep your abs and glutes engaged while sticking your butt back. The weight of your body stays in your heels and your knee caps follow the directions of your toes. The kneecaps do NOT move right or left of your toes and also stay BEHIND your toes. This will help to make sure you don't feel knee pain.

Some additional benefits of adding squats to your daily routine:

  • Squatting primarily uses the muscles of your lower body (quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves). When you make these muscles stronger, everything you do with your legs becomes easier.

  • Your core muscles (abs and back) and also essential when completing squats. They provide stability and balance and when you increase your core strength, you naturally improve your balance and posture.

  • Squats help to increase flexibility and mobility of your hips, knees and ankles.

  • As a weight bearing exercise, squats can help to improve bone density and provide stability for your knees and hips.

The video below shows you how to do several squat variations. When these become easy for you, you can also hold weights while you squat to make it harder.

As with all exercises, there should be no pain in any of your joints. If you experience pain, stop immediately and consult with your doctor if the pain persists.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

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