Squat Challenge Week 6: Fruits that resemble glutes... and symmetry

Weak glutes. Everyone has them, including me. Is it due to poor posture and a lack of walking and squatting? Most likely. I know that my gluts are weak and I know that my left side is weaker than my right. I can see this weakness manifest in my squat when I:

1. shift more weight onto my stronger right leg when coming up from my squat. 
2. move the weight forwards towards my toes as I go deeper, instead of keeping it planted through my heels - see purple line in picture A, the knee is in front of the heel as weight comes forward 
3. collapse my knees together when I rise up from a deep squat - see picture A, the top line between the knees is much smaller than the bottom line between the ankles 

Picture A... bad 

Picture B... better

This weeks goals: 

1. Create symmetry between the left and right side. Focus on evenly moving up and down through the squat
2. When in doubt, stick it out... get the glutes more active by moving the weight back into the heels. Ideally I want to be able to wiggle my toes at the lowest point of my squat - picture B, purple arrow on knee directly over ankle 
3. Keep the knees as wide as the feet, pushing the knees away from each other on the way up and down - picture B, pink lines are the same distance at the knee and at the ankle 

And now for fun... FRUITS that resemble GLUTES

Good luck with your deep squat this week! Try not to attempt to make too many changes at once. Focus on just one or two things until they become natural and easy then move on.

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!