WEBVTT - Should You Be Squatting More? 0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:07.120 Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff, 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.639 Lauren vocal bomb here. We've all heard the grim news 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:14.200 sitting is the new smoking. It's a troubling statement to 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:17.080 see repeated in the headlines, especially since the average office 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:20.560 worker sits for about ten hours every day and Netflix, 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.920 we love you, but you're not helping. Not only has 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:27.160 excessive sitting been associated with everything from strained muscles to 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.840 spinal damage, but research has shown prolonged sedentary time is 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:34.959 associated with harmful health outcomes regardless of physical activity. And 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:37.560 while we all put our faith into standing desks as 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.760 the obvious antidote, it turns out that strategy might be 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:44.120 doing more harm than good. There might be a simpler 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:47.440 solution that doesn't involve a fancy office successory or swollen 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:52.680 ankles squatting. We spoke with Area Matlick, a New York 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:55.720 based nurse practitioner. She said, when it comes to the 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:58.560 human body, spending too much time in any single position 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:01.480 has a cost. In the US today, we sit a lot, 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:03.680 so it would do us good to squat a bit more. 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:08.559 Jessica Gilbert, a California based certified personal trainer and group 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:12.399 fitness instructor, agrees. She said we should most definitely be 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.480 squatting more in our everyday lives for many reasons. The 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:18.039 first and most important is that most people struggle from 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:22.360 inactive gluteal muscles glutes and that can cause low back pain, 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:26.400 knee pain, throw off your posture, and affect your everyday workouts. 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:28.640 She says. That's squatting for just thirty seconds a few 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:32.640 times a day can strengthen those inactive muscle groups. So 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:36.400 why squatting? You might instead want to ask why not squatting? 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.199 While you may not typically see people in the United 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.080 States crouching with bent knees, but's hovering above their heels, 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:44.880 you'll see that pose on the regular in other countries, 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.240 particularly in places where squat toilets where the peon or 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:51.600 bowls at floor level are common, like throughout Asia, India, 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:55.040 and Africa. But people in other parts of the world 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:58.640 also commonly issued chairs to squat when eating, talking, and 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:02.800 just generally hanging out. And while the super low squat 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.160 you'll see abroad may look much different than the standard 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:08.040 issue jim move common in the United States, Gilbert says 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.960 they both have their rightful place and booty building perks. 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.280 She said a typical jim squat and squats in other 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.280 countries are all fairly the same, but the depth, range 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:20.000 of motion and uses are different. She explained that a 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:22.600 jim squat will build strength, where squatting in daily life 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:25.919 can build endurance. Matt Luck explained that it used to 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:27.920 be more common for people all over the world to 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:30.560 give birth and use the toilet in a squatting position. 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:33.720 She said, the less we squat, the weaker the muscles 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:36.919 that make squatting possible become a lot of fitness routines 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:41.000 and yogic practices include squating exercises for good reason. Squatting 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:44.320 increases leg strength and stability, gets the blood flowing, warms 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:47.200 up the body, and improves muscle tone without putting excessive 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:50.880 pressure on the joints. And while no one really likes 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.600 to talk about it, that toilet thing is important, hence 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:57.360 the success of the squatty potty. Victoria Albana, another New 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:00.880 York based nurse practitioner and health coach, said, we definitely 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.720 should all be squatting to have a bowel movement. When 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.040 we're in a fully squatted position, it's a more natural 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.799 position for our colon. When the Victorians came up with 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:10.959 the concept of the throne toilet. It was a big 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:15.600 step backward for bowel health. But beyond the bathroom, squatting 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.960 has a ton of benefits that nonpractitioners are missing out on. 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:22.360 Albana said, I also think when we're squatting all the 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:24.680 time to do all sorts of things, we're engaging our 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:27.280 core in our back and engaging a series of muscles 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.280 that the average American is no longer engaging. We're having 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:32.680 more back pain than ever before. I don't think it's 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:35.400 a one to one correlation, but we're definitely sitting more 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.800 and commuting more, and it's one part of the picture. 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:41.040 While it's a good idea to get your squad on 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:43.800 more often, it's also important to remember that not all 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:48.000 squats are created equal. Matlick said, rapid, careless squatting can 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.720 easily lead to back injuries, so it's important to engage 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.560 the core muscles and keep the back straight. When adding 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.560 squats to your daily routine, start with slow movements for 0:03:56.640 --> 0:03:58.840 one to three minutes and work up to a faster 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:03.400 pace and longer duration. Whether you're squeezing more squats in 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:06.000 for overall health and mobility or you're really looking to 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.800 build some muscle. Gilbert has a few takeaway tips. She said, 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:12.760 always keep the weight of your squats in your heels, 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:16.200 keep your chest up and shoulder blades back. When you're 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:18.359 doing a squat and coming up to the standing position, 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:22.000 always squeeze your butt. If you're leaning forward or backward 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.640 in your squats, you're more likely to injure yourself. So 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:26.279 if you're new to working out or just want to 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.320 improve your squatting technique, I recommend finding a bench and 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:32.839 practice the sitting and standing technique. Even just taking a 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:35.400 seat and then standing up fift twenty times in a 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:38.200 row once a day can make a difference. It's almost 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:45.760 the same idea as the gym technique. Today's episode was 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:48.720 written by Michelle Kunstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang for 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.200 iHeart Media and How Stuff Works. For more on this 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:53.880 and lots of other well toned topics, visit our home planet, 0:04:54.040 --> 0:05:06.560 how stuff Works dot com.