SQUAT

Squatting is an exercise that we do a lot without even realizing. For instance, we squat every time we sit down and get up out of our chairs. Having a strong squat provides so many benefits to your life. Squats make walking easier. Squatting properly helps strengthen the hips, especially as you get older. It will help to prevent SI joint issues as you get older. Speaking of strengthening the hips, the biggest part of the hips are the gluts. Strong gluts equal nice butts (Ladies learn how to squat properly; dudes,  re-learn how to squat). Having legs strong enough to take care of yourself when you get older will be problematic if you aren’t doing anything now to prevent such losses in strength. One of peoples biggest fears when they get older is that if they fall, they won’t be able to get back up.  Another benefit of squats is that they help to increase the density of bone. This in turn leads to assist in the prevention of osteopenia and osteoporosis, especially in women. A scary statistic that stuck in my head in college is the percentage of people who die within a year of breaking their hip because of osteoporosis in the hip bones (which could likely have been prevented with an active lifestyle early in life). Up to 58% mortality rate from hip fractures in adults over 65 is a really scary statistic for those who aren’t doing anything to help prevent these bone degenerating diseases. Another thing that comes from hip fractures is rapid weight gain. Watching yourself gain weight and not being able to do a lot about it has to be really hard to take, emotionally. One way that you can try to prevent a significant loss of strength later in life (or start getting strength back!) is to add squats to your morning routine. That way, you can ensure that you are going to be getting exercise. Start with doing 10 every morning during the work/school week, then add 10 the next week, and then 10 again, and again until the month is over. Once you're really good at squatting, you can add different variations to change things up and keep it going.