WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Should You Be Squatting More?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic episode for you.

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<v Speaker 1>We try not to do too many episodes here that

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<v Speaker 1>verge into health and wellness advice, because health and wellness

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<v Speaker 1>are really complicated and everybody's body is different, so it's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to make generalizations. But this episode is one that

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<v Speaker 1>I feel pretty good about for many humans anyway, It's

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<v Speaker 1>about squatting. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. We've

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<v Speaker 1>all heard the grim news sitting is the new smoking.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a troubling statement to see repeated in the headlines,

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<v Speaker 1>especially since the average office worker sits for about ten

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<v Speaker 1>hours every day and Netflix, we love you, but you're

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<v Speaker 1>not helping. Not only has excessive sitting been associated with

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<v Speaker 1>everything from strained muscles to spinal damage, but research has

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<v Speaker 1>shown prolonged sedentary time is associated with harmful health outcomes

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of his activity. And while we all put our

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<v Speaker 1>faith into standing desks as the obvious antidote, it turns

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<v Speaker 1>out that strategy might be doing more harm than good.

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<v Speaker 1>There might be a simpler solution that doesn't involve a

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<v Speaker 1>fancy office successory or swollen ankles. Squatting. We spoke with

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<v Speaker 1>Aria Matlock, a New York based nurse practitioner. She said,

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<v Speaker 1>when it comes to the human body, spending too much

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<v Speaker 1>time in any single position has a cost. In the West,

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<v Speaker 1>today we sit a lot, so it would do us

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<v Speaker 1>good to squat a bit more. Jessica Gilbert, a California

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<v Speaker 1>based certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, agrees. She

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<v Speaker 1>said we should most definitely be squatting more in our

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<v Speaker 1>everyday lives for many reasons. The first and most important

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<v Speaker 1>is that most people struggle from inactive gluteal muscles glutes

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<v Speaker 1>and that can cause low back pain, knee pain, throw

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<v Speaker 1>off your posture, and affect your everyday workouts. She says

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<v Speaker 1>that squatting for just thirty seconds a few times a

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<v Speaker 1>day can strengthen those inactive muscle groups. So why squatting?

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<v Speaker 1>You might instead want to ask why not squatting? While

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<v Speaker 1>you may not typically see people in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>crouching with bent knees butts hovering above their heels, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>see that pose on the regular in other countries, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>in places where squat toilets where the pan or bowls

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<v Speaker 1>at floor level are common, like throughout Asia, India, and Africa,

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<v Speaker 1>but people in other parts of the world also commonly

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<v Speaker 1>issue chairs to squat when eating, talking, and just generally

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<v Speaker 1>hanging out. And while the super low squat you'll see

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<v Speaker 1>abroad may look much different than the standard issued gym

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<v Speaker 1>move common in the United States, Gilbert says they both

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<v Speaker 1>have their rightful place and booty building perks. She said

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<v Speaker 1>a typical gym squat and squats in other countries are

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<v Speaker 1>all fairly the same, but the depth, range of motion

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<v Speaker 1>and uses are different. She explained that a jim squat

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<v Speaker 1>will build strength, where squatting in daily life can build endurance.

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<v Speaker 1>Mattlock explained that it used to be more common for

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<v Speaker 1>people all over the world to give birth and use

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<v Speaker 1>the toilet in a squatting position. She said, the less

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<v Speaker 1>we squat, the weaker the muscle that make squatting possible

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<v Speaker 1>become a lot of fitness routines in yogic practices include

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<v Speaker 1>squatting exercises for good reason. Squatting increases leg strength and stability,

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<v Speaker 1>gets the blood flowing, warms up the body, and improves

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<v Speaker 1>muscle tone without putting excessive pressure on the joints. And

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<v Speaker 1>while no one really likes to talk about it that

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<v Speaker 1>toilet thing is important, hence the success of the squatty potty.

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<v Speaker 1>Victoria Albana, another New York based nurse practitioner and health coach, said,

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<v Speaker 1>we definitely should all be squatting to have a bowel movement.

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<v Speaker 1>When we're in a fully squatted position, it's a more

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<v Speaker 1>natural position for our colon. When the Victorians came up

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<v Speaker 1>with the concept of the throne toilet, it was a

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<v Speaker 1>big step backward for bowel health. But beyond the bathroom,

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<v Speaker 1>squatting has a ton of benefits that non practitioners are

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<v Speaker 1>missing out on. Albina said, I also think when we're

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<v Speaker 1>squatting all the time to do all sorts of things,

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<v Speaker 1>we're engaging our core in our back and engaging a

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<v Speaker 1>series of muscles that the average American is no longer engaging.

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<v Speaker 1>We're having more back pain than ever before. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think it's a one to one correlation, but we're definitely

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<v Speaker 1>sitting more and commuting more, and it's one part of

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<v Speaker 1>the picture. While it's a good idea to get your

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<v Speaker 1>squad on more often, it's also important to remember that

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<v Speaker 1>not all squats are created equal. Mattlck said, rapid, careless

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<v Speaker 1>squatting can easily lead to back injuries, so it's important

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<v Speaker 1>to engage the core muscles and keep the back straight.

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<v Speaker 1>When adding squats to your daily routine, start with slow

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<v Speaker 1>movements for one to three minutes and work up to

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<v Speaker 1>a faster pace and longer duration. Whether you're squeezing more

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<v Speaker 1>squats in for overall health and mobility, or you're really

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<v Speaker 1>looking to build some muscle, Gilbert has a few takeaway tips.

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<v Speaker 1>She said, always keep the weight of your squats in

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<v Speaker 1>your heels, keep your chest up and shoulder blades back.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're doing a squat and coming up to the

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<v Speaker 1>standing position, always squeeze your butt. If you're leaning forward

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<v Speaker 1>or backward in your squats, you're more likely to injure yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you're new to working out or just want

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<v Speaker 1>to improve your squatting technique, I recommend finding a bench

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<v Speaker 1>and practice the sitting and standing technique. Even just taking

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<v Speaker 1>a seat and then stay ending up fifteen to twenty

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<v Speaker 1>times in a row once a day can make a difference.

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<v Speaker 1>It's almost the same idea as the gym technique. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article You Need to Get

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<v Speaker 1>your Squad on on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by

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<v Speaker 1>Michelle Constantinofsky Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how Stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.