How Is Your Squat? part II

Our bodies are made to move and squatting is one of the most basic movements we learn as young toddlers but risk losing as we age.   At the most basic level, we need to squat to sit down in a chair, get into a car, and use the toilet.  Have you noticed that modern staircases, toilet heights, and chairs have all been raised to accommodate this declining ability?  As the population has become more sedentary, the squats we used to be able to perform have decreased for varied reasons.

Squats target multiple joints; the ankles, knees, hips, and spine.  However, squats can become troublesome for some people when they lose the capacity to move their joints through a normal range of movement.   Ouch!

Another common reason some lose the ability to squat is that the muscles lose the strength and coordination to support the body through the movement.  Yikes!

Do you still want to hike?  Dance?  Get on the ground to play with children?  If so, work movements into each practice that support the action of a squat.  Keep your feet supple, explore a wide variety of movements in your hip sockets, strengthen the large muscles in your legs and glutes and keep ahead of the inevitable "use it or lose it!"