Squats

Hello!

Today we are going to talk about one of the best exercises for you, whether you’re trying to build muscle or lose weight (or both) - the squat. But it’s also one of the most difficult exercises to do properly unless you actually know what you’re doing and thats where I come in!

Squats work practically every single muscle from your belly button down and if you’re looking to burn fat, you want to do exercises that trigger as much of your body as possible so it’s all getting worked and exercised.  On the other side of the coin, if you’re looking to build muscle, your legs and back can put on the most muscle in the shortest amount of time.

No matter what your goals are if you are serious about getting in shape and losing weight, or if you’re a beanpole and looking to gain muscle, you absolutely need to include squats in your routine. Another thing to consider is that we squat all day everyday! Sitting down and standing up again is essential a squat! And I think we all have elder relatives who lost the ability to get in to and out of chairs and need either a person or a lift chair to help them... this doesn't have to be your fate! Start squating and building those muscles!



A few tips to remember:

• Squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. If you don’t go down that far, you’re cheating yourself and doing a fake squat.  Go way down, and you’ll feel it in every muscle in your leg.  This will give you a really strong core along with strong legs and a strong back.
   
• Try not to extend your knees past your toes. If you’re doing the squats right, you should be sitting back with your bum out and back straight.
• Don’t arch your back. The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to keep your head up when you squat, and KEEP YOUR ABS tight throughout the whole exercise (that’s right, squats will even work your abs).
• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and point your toes very slightly outward.

Check this video to get the how to on this fantastic exercise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKKZ9AGYTi4

Good luck and stay healthy!
Andrea :)