Squat Challenge Week 5: The Squatty Potty

Western toilets are designed for voiding like martini glasses are designed for drinking. They are undoubtedly the wrong shape and size, poorly equipped to handle the very important tasks they are built to accomplish. Our bodies are built to void best in a deep squat position. From an anatomy point of view, a deep squat places the bowels and pelvic floor in an ideal position for voiding. The puborectalis (one muscle of the pelvic floor) acts as a lasso around the rectum, pulling it to a 90 degree angle when you are standing and sitting. This helps hold solids and gasses in until you make it to a bathroom. And this is good. When you go down into a deep squat the puborecalis loosens up its lasso hold and the rectum becomes straight and can more easily be emptied.

Great diagram by fellow pelvic floor PT Samantha Cattach. See her entire blog post HERE!

Most people I know would have a hard time voiding in a deep squat because this position is too hard to hold. In addition, our bathrooms are poorly designed to accommodate a deep squat. Hence the invention of the squatty potty (NOTE: you can use anything to prop your feet up higher including small stools or anything you have lying around). With a bit of potty assistance you can work on your squat (adding 5-10 additional deep squats to your day) and void more easily.

Squatty potty - available on Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond 

I spent the weekend at my in-laws and had to improvise with my carry on suitcase! 

Instead of just hiding in the bathroom to catch up on Facebook you could also be using this time to:

• IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO DEEP SQUAT
• decrease straining- very important if you have issues with pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse and pelvic pain
• potty training children, so their pelvic floors can relax and they can void easier
• fully empty
• decrease constipation

Improving your deep squat will take practice. Start increasing your deep squat frequency by integrating it into your every day life activities!

Squat Challenge Week 4: Will I ever get into a deep squat???

CAN and SHOULD everyone be able to do a perfect deep squat? Not necessarily.

Everyone has slightly different anatomy, therefore it may not be possible to achieve the exact same squat as another person. Injury and disease can also permanently change the way the body moves. These are some examples of things you may not be able to change. However, the way muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons function can also be a product of HOW you use them. With disuse the body can become immobile, tight, off balance and stiff. The human body can and will adapt to the environment it is placed in! Some cultures utilize deep squatting daily as a working, resting and elimination position. Western culture takes advantage of more 'comfortable' positions like chairs, couches and toilets. Maybe my biggest issue is not my stiff ankles but the absence of daily squatting over the last 30 years (which has potentially lead to the stiff ankles... this may be a chicken and the egg conversation).

This concept is something I try to discuss with my prenatal moms who want to have a natural delivery. Squatting during labor and delivery is good in theory but you have to make sure you take the appropriate steps to ensure you are actually able to squat before the big day. It may take months to achieve a squat position that you are comfortable in.

The take home message here is many things will affect your ability to squat... some things you can't change and some things you can. Work on the things you can change and you may find that you end up with a pretty darn close to perfect deep squat. Lastly, keep in mind it might take some time to un-do 30+ years of non squatting so be patient with your deep squat!

Squat Challenge Week 3: Pelvis

This week we will talk about one thing that most people do as they start to squat deeper... TUCK the TAIL BONE.

At some point during my squat my pelvis starts to 'TUCK'. That means that my tail bone (back) gets closer to my pubic bone (front). This position shortens the pelvic floor preventing it from working properly. It also puts the gluts and core muscles at a disadvantage when supporting my body in a squat. This is one reason that I need to hold onto something when I squat.

Two things to focus on this week:

1. Sitting with a not tucked tail bone.

This position is a less deep squat and a position that I get into (way too) often throughout the day. I'm going to sit with my tail bone not tucked at the table, on the couch and in my car. Practice rotating your pelvis forward and backwards to get an idea of what it feels like to tuck and untuck the tail bone, that way you'll be able to tell what your pelvis is doing while you squat. Just like calf stretching vs neutral footwear (see week 2) it's more important to correct the positions you spend all day in rather than do a few minutes of stretching.

 


2. Supported Squat.

I'm going to use support to go deeper into my squat while maintaining a not tucked tail bone. I will need to continue to support my ankles with my yoga mat (or a decline slope on a sidewalk). Hanging out here will help me gain body awareness of my pelvis position as I move in and out of tucked vs not tucked. Over the week I want to decrease the amount of support that I need, only using my fingertips to hold me upright as my balance and strength increase.

Squat Challenge Week 2: Ankles

Want to learn how to do a perfect deep squat?? This week we are going to focus on the ankles and their ideal position in the deep squat.

I have a shocking number of high heels considering that I am fully aware of how bad they are for the pelvic floor but these heels have served a very useful purpose today. They are going to give me a measurement of how much assistance I need to achieve my current resting squat position... and I need a lot. Almost 3 inches. Ideally the entire foot is planted on the ground and my shin should be close (if not completely) vertical. For me, holding a better squat position without support is a strength, balance and mobility issue.



Let's focus on mobility for now. To help me loosen up my ankles and lengthen my calf muscles the goals this week are:

1. Only wearing neutral shoes (meaning no heel) or no shoe.

Most footwear, including runners, men's shoes, kids shoes and casual shoes have a positive heel. Check out how much positive heel you have by comparing the difference in height from the back of the shoe to the front. Sometimes you can find this value online, especially for running shoes and hiking shoes. Over time the calf muscles will become chronically shortened due to the large amount of time spent daily in positive heeled shoes. The reason that this is my first (and most important) point is because even if I spend 1 hour daily doing the other two 'exercises', the 8+ hours I spend in heels will negate any change.

2. Stretching the lower leg.

Keeping my half dome roller in my main bathroom to stretch out my gastrocnemius and soleus. While brushing my teeth, washing my hands, doing my hair, etc I hope to spend at least 20 minutes stretching out these tight muscles daily. My stretches should be fluid, moving in and out of the stretch, keeping the knee straight and then bending it as I feel the stretch move to the top of the muscle to the bottom, to the left and to the right.



3. Practice Squatting.

Practice squatting in a supported position but just below where I start to lose good form (we will talk more about this next week!). I'll put a rolled up yoga mat under my heels and hang out here trying to focus on relaxing the tension in my ankles, moving my weight back and extending through the spine. I am going to aim for lots of slow controlled squats throughout the day, but only a few at a time. At night I will try and do a longer session while I watch 'Turn' my new favorite Netflix Original Series about a cabbage farmer.



TIPS: you can use basically anything in place of a half dome, like a rolled up yoga mat or something salvaged from the recycle bin.

Happy Physio Friday and good luck loosening up those stiff ankles!