Spending hours a day sitting takes a toll on our body. It can severely diminish leg strength, joint support, good posture and blood circulation within the lower extremities.  But there is one move most of us can do that can greatly boost our overall fitness with noticeable results fast – squats.

This “king of all exercises” is a relatively easy movement every one of us should practice each day.  There is no equipment required and it can be done just about anywhere.  Squats may be thought of as an exercise for the legs but it actually benefits the entire body including the all-important core muscles deep within the abdomen. 

This functional exercise can have a strong impact affecting your ability to live a full, healthy life.  Little things like getting up from a chair to squatting down to pick something off the floor requires squat strength. 

Why squats are such an important exercise

·         Makes daily activities easier

Squats, plain and simple, build muscle.  More muscle means our body moves more efficiently making daily tasks of lifting or moving things so much easier.  As we age, strong legs are a must for good mobility.  In addition to promoting mobility, performing squats also promotes stability and balance protecting us from easily falling standing on a chair or playing with a rambunctious dog. Especially as we get older, performing squats daily are crucial to maintaining muscle health keeping us independent. 

·         Burns fat

The muscle that is built from regularly performing squats turns you into a more efficient fat-burner resulting in using up more calories.  For every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day.  This adds up to many more calories burned each day helping to keep you at a healthier body weight.

·         Tones buttocks, ads and legs

Sitting into a squat works a lot of different muscles.  The very act of squatting will tone and tighten your butt, abdomen and the legs, particularly the quadriceps and hamstrings.  Hold a pair of 5-8 pound hand weights while performing squat and you’ll see even better results.  Toned muscles help in the regulation of glucose and fat metabolism along with insulin sensitivity.  This protects us from obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

·         Prevents injuries

Whether you’re an athlete or not most athletic-type injuries involve having weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues.  Squats can help prevent injury by improving flexibility and balance as it can improve the range of motion in your ankles and hips. 

Squats may be viewed as being harmful to the knees but research has shown that when done properly, squats actually improve knee stability and strengthen the surrounding connective tissue.

How to properly perform a squat

Performing a squat may look easy and it relatively is, but it is very important to have proper form.  If you’re not sure of the right way to do one, here is a link showing you proper form to avoid common mistakes people often make when performing a squat.

In the meantime, make squats a must-do movement each day to get the body you want and deserve.