Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic episode for you. We try not to do too many episodes here that verge into health and wellness advice, because health and wellness are really complicated and everybody's body is different, so it's hard to make generalizations. But this episode is one that I feel pretty good about for many humans anyway, It's about squatting. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. We've all heard the grim news sitting is the new smoking. It's a troubling statement to see repeated in the headlines, especially since the average office worker sits for about ten hours every day and Netflix, we love you, but you're not helping. Not only has excessive sitting been associated with everything from strained muscles to spinal damage, but research has shown prolonged sedentary time is associated with harmful health outcomes regardless of his activity. And while we all put our faith into standing desks as the obvious antidote, it turns out that strategy might be doing more harm than good. There might be a simpler solution that doesn't involve a fancy office successory or swollen ankles. Squatting. We spoke with Aria Matlock, a New York based nurse practitioner. She said, when it comes to the human body, spending too much time in any single position has a cost. In the West, today we sit a lot, so it would do us good to squat a bit more. Jessica Gilbert, a California based certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, agrees. She said we should most definitely be squatting more in our everyday lives for many reasons. The first and most important is that most people struggle from inactive gluteal muscles glutes and that can cause low back pain, knee pain, throw off your posture, and affect your everyday workouts. She says that squatting for just thirty seconds a few times a day can strengthen those inactive muscle groups. So why squatting? You might instead want to ask why not squatting? While you may not typically see people in the United States crouching with bent knees butts hovering above their heels, you'll see that pose on the regular in other countries, particularly in places where squat toilets where the pan or bowls at floor level are common, like throughout Asia, India, and Africa, but people in other parts of the world also commonly issue chairs to squat when eating, talking, and just generally hanging out. And while the super low squat you'll see abroad may look much different than the standard issued gym move common in the United States, Gilbert says they both have their rightful place and booty building perks. She said a typical gym squat and squats in other countries are all fairly the same, but the depth, range of motion and uses are different. She explained that a jim squat will build strength, where squatting in daily life can build endurance. Mattlock explained that it used to be more common for people all over the world to give birth and use the toilet in a squatting position. She said, the less we squat, the weaker the muscle that make squatting possible become a lot of fitness routines in yogic practices include squatting exercises for good reason. Squatting increases leg strength and stability, gets the blood flowing, warms up the body, and improves muscle tone without putting excessive pressure on the joints. And while no one really likes to talk about it that toilet thing is important, hence the success of the squatty potty. Victoria Albana, another New York based nurse practitioner and health coach, said, we definitely should all be squatting to have a bowel movement. When we're in a fully squatted position, it's a more natural position for our colon. When the Victorians came up with the concept of the throne toilet, it was a big step backward for bowel health. But beyond the bathroom, squatting has a ton of benefits that non practitioners are missing out on. Albina said, I also think when we're squatting all the time to do all sorts of things, we're engaging our core in our back and engaging a series of muscles that the average American is no longer engaging. We're having more back pain than ever before. I don't think it's a one to one correlation, but we're definitely sitting more and commuting more, and it's one part of the picture. While it's a good idea to get your squad on more often, it's also important to remember that not all squats are created equal. Mattlck said, rapid, careless squatting can easily lead to back injuries, so it's important to engage the core muscles and keep the back straight. When adding squats to your daily routine, start with slow movements for one to three minutes and work up to a faster pace and longer duration. Whether you're squeezing more squats in for overall health and mobility, or you're really looking to build some muscle, Gilbert has a few takeaway tips. She said, always keep the weight of your squats in your heels, keep your chest up and shoulder blades back. When you're doing a squat and coming up to the standing position, always squeeze your butt. If you're leaning forward or backward in your squats, you're more likely to injure yourself. So if you're new to working out or just want to improve your squatting technique, I recommend finding a bench and practice the sitting and standing technique. Even just taking a seat and then stay ending up fifteen to twenty times in a row once a day can make a difference. It's almost the same idea as the gym technique. Today's episode is based on the article You Need to Get your Squad on on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by Michelle Constantinofsky Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic episode for you. We try not to do too many episodes here that verge into health and wellness advice, because health and wellness are really complicated and everybody's body is different, so it's hard to make generalizations. But this episode is one that I feel pretty good about for many humans anyway, It's about squatting. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. We've all heard the grim news sitting is the new smoking. It's a troubling statement to see repeated in the headlines, especially since the average office worker sits for about ten hours every day and Netflix, we love you, but you're not helping. Not only has excessive sitting been associated with everything from strained muscles to spinal damage, but research has shown prolonged sedentary time is associated with harmful health outcomes regardless of his activity. And while we all put our faith into standing desks as the obvious antidote, it turns out that strategy might be doing more harm than good. There might be a simpler solution that doesn't involve a fancy office successory or swollen ankles. Squatting. We spoke with Aria Matlock, a New York based nurse practitioner. She said, when it comes to the human body, spending too much time in any single position has a cost. In the West, today we sit a lot, so it would do us good to squat a bit more. Jessica Gilbert, a California based certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, agrees. She said we should most definitely be squatting more in our everyday lives for many reasons. The first and most important is that most people struggle from inactive gluteal muscles glutes and that can cause low back pain, knee pain, throw off your posture, and affect your everyday workouts. She says that squatting for just thirty seconds a few times a day can strengthen those inactive muscle groups. So why squatting? You might instead want to ask why not squatting? While you may not typically see people in the United States crouching with bent knees butts hovering above their heels, you'll see that pose on the regular in other countries, particularly in places where squat toilets where the pan or bowls at floor level are common, like throughout Asia, India, and Africa, but people in other parts of the world also commonly issue chairs to squat when eating, talking, and just generally hanging out. And while the super low squat you'll see abroad may look much different than the standard issued gym move common in the United States, Gilbert says they both have their rightful place and booty building perks. She said a typical gym squat and squats in other countries are all fairly the same, but the depth, range of motion and uses are different. She explained that a jim squat will build strength, where squatting in daily life can build endurance. Mattlock explained that it used to be more common for people all over the world to give birth and use the toilet in a squatting position. She said, the less we squat, the weaker the muscle that make squatting possible become a lot of fitness routines in yogic practices include squatting exercises for good reason. Squatting increases leg strength and stability, gets the blood flowing, warms up the body, and improves muscle tone without putting excessive pressure on the joints. And while no one really likes to talk about it that toilet thing is important, hence the success of the squatty potty. Victoria Albana, another New York based nurse practitioner and health coach, said, we definitely should all be squatting to have a bowel movement. When we're in a fully squatted position, it's a more natural position for our colon. When the Victorians came up with the concept of the throne toilet, it was a big step backward for bowel health. But beyond the bathroom, squatting has a ton of benefits that non practitioners are missing out on. Albina said, I also think when we're squatting all the time to do all sorts of things, we're engaging our core in our back and engaging a series of muscles that the average American is no longer engaging. We're having more back pain than ever before. I don't think it's a one to one correlation, but we're definitely sitting more and commuting more, and it's one part of the picture. While it's a good idea to get your squad on more often, it's also important to remember that not all squats are created equal. Mattlck said, rapid, careless squatting can easily lead to back injuries, so it's important to engage the core muscles and keep the back straight. When adding squats to your daily routine, start with slow movements for one to three minutes and work up to a faster pace and longer duration. Whether you're squeezing more squats in for overall health and mobility, or you're really looking to build some muscle, Gilbert has a few takeaway tips. She said, always keep the weight of your squats in your heels, keep your chest up and shoulder blades back. When you're doing a squat and coming up to the standing position, always squeeze your butt. If you're leaning forward or backward in your squats, you're more likely to injure yourself. So if you're new to working out or just want to improve your squatting technique, I recommend finding a bench and practice the sitting and standing technique. Even just taking a seat and then stay ending up fifteen to twenty times in a row once a day can make a difference. It's almost the same idea as the gym technique. Today's episode is based on the article You Need to Get your Squad on on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by Michelle Constantinofsky Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.