How To Reach Behind Your Back | Step By Step Process

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With our world functioning within the advancement of technology, we are all typically sitting all day in a forward head posture and rolled-forward shoulders (In fact, I’m doing this as we speak). This in the long run will cause a lot of difficulties and will cause chronic pain and injuries. One of the first functional movements that go in the shoulders is being able to reach your other hand behind your back. If you cannot do this movement, it will make the functionality of your life a bit more difficult, such as reaching to be able to put on your bra or scratch that really itchy part of your back.

One fun trick to be able to give yourself mobility with internal rotation of your shoulder is to do something called contract/relax. This is a Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) technique and is super easy to use almost anywhere in your body to increase mobility in your muscles and joints and therefore increase your range of motion (ROM).

Follow the steps below to give this technique a try!

  1. Grab a towel or yoga strap and place it in one hand, then put that arm over your head and behind your back (like the picture shows below).
  2. Grab the end of the towel or strap with your other hand at hip height.
  3. Pull up with the hand above to cause the one below to come up and cause a stretch in the shoulder of the bottom hand. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds.
  4. Once the 10 seconds is done, now you are going to pull down with the bottom hand but the top hand is going to resist the movement, causing an isometric contraction (contracting the muscles without moving the joints). Hold this contraction with your bottom hand for 5 seconds.
  5. Now repeat this process of contracting and relaxing between the two hands for 4-5 reps.
  6. Then let the rope or towel go and try reaching for your other hand again and experience the magic of science!
  7. Repeat and try this with your other shoulder.

Pretty cool eh?

You can use this concept almost anywhere in the body. Be sure to follow my Instagram account, Pinterest, or this blog for more fun tricks like this and more!

Here is a video of how I did this, the full video can also be found here.

How rolling your feet can help with hamstring tightness

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Image from Anatomy Trains

Have you ever stretched your hamstrings and lower back as much as you can but still have tightness? This can sometimes be due to a connective tissue structure called fascia.

Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place. The tissue does more than provide internal structure; fascia has nerves that make it almost as sensitive as skin. Therefore, it plays a major role in our musculoskeletal system.

As shown in the book, Anatomy Trains, there is a fascial line from your skull down to your toes. If the fascia is tight it can tug and pull on the muscle causing it to feel tight. One way you can correct this is by rolling the bottom of your feet to loosen up the fascia at one end.

Give this a try to see if it helps you be able to bend forward to touch your toes easier:

Image from: https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/how-to-roll-out-your-feet/
  1. Bend forward to touch your toes, but be sure to keep your knees straight and you bend from your hips not your knees. Measure how far you can reach and remember this length as you will be using it for reference again later.
  2. Roll the bottom of both feet, but be sure that you roll slow and controlled. Rolling fast will not help to release the fascia. Be sure to roll front to back and into the arches of the foot. Roll for 2-5 min per foot. Roll in a triangle position like the picture shows to the right.
  3. Now bend forward and try to touch you toes again. Notice the difference in how far forward you can bend.

Pretty cool eh?

This is how beneficial it can be to roll your muscles first before you stretch. So next time you have a good stretching session, roll out your muscles for a few minutes first and see how you feel!

I have a full video on how to do this on my Instagram account that can be found here.

Life Update: Celiac Disease and Strength Rehab Program

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It’s been a little while since I have done a life update blog post on here. It has also been a whirlwind of a few months piecing it all together, but here it goes.

I have had a pretty big epiphany lately. One in which I have realized that the ongoing symptoms I have had over the last few years may not only have to do with me consuming gluten when going out to eat as a celiac, but it may also have to do with my relationship with food. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love food, but I think deep down I have been anxious about what I have been eating inside and outside of my own home.

Hear me out.

When I was first diagnosed 4.5 years ago with celiac disease, I started reading and researching everything I could in knowing all of the information about my newly diagnosed condition. So much so, that I started making that my number one priority. I stopped playing sports, working out and taking care of my mental health and prioritized learning about gut health to correct the damage that has been done in my small intestine. With doing this though, I lost my main stress outlet, exercise and meditation. I became antisocial, where I did not want to go out to eat with friends because I could not partake due to the fear of consuming gluten in the food I was eating.

For those of you reading this and do not know, one crumb of gluten is all it takes to cause my autoimmune disease to flare up and make me not feel well for a few weeks to months. You can find more information about celiac disease here.

There is more and more information and research being released on the connection between the gut and the brain. If either the gut or brain is not functioning optimally, they both suffer. For example, if you have ever been really nervous for something, like a presentation, you may have had the sensation of butterflies in your stomach. Usually having to go to the bathroom accompanies this feeling, but once it is over the butterflies go away and your digestion starts to go back to normal.

However, if you are in this chronic state of stress and fight or flight, your body will eventually start to signal to you to slow down through symptoms. Those symptoms can be pain, bloating, fatigue, and indigestion just to name a few.

Since I have started my daily meditation practice and I have slowly started moving my body everyday, I can feel some of the symptoms starting to subside and dissipate.

Currently right now, I have on and off fatigue and bloating with silent reflux, along with a pain in my upper right abdomen. When I palpate my gut it feels rock hard in some spots, and I don’t mean abdomen muscle tone, I mean inflamed intestinal tone. Also, due to not working out and taking care of my body through exercise, I have started getting anatomical discomfort and injuries occurring like back and neck pain, along with neurological discomfort. I even started to notice myself holding my diaphragm in when I was sitting down to eat anything put in front of me. I’ve had to consciously work at letting my abdomen go while I sit down to eat.

My goals for the next few months will be to work with my dietician to heal my gut and symptoms through diet, exercise and mindfulness. Along with this I will be working on my own strength rehab program to correct any anatomical imbalances that have occurred over the last few years.

I’ll keep you posted on instagram of my progress incase you want to follow along and I’ll be starting to write regular weekly blog posts on celiac disease and athletic therapy.

Thank you for your continued support and love 🙂

LEW xoxo

Three Reasons you are Too Busy With Work and Life to Exercise.

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We have all been there, too busy, tired or have more important things to do than to exercise.

I’m going to be giving you some tough love, because I’ve had to recently do this for myself.

There is ALWAYS time to exercise in life. One of three things is usually the culprit of why exercise does not happen in our lives.

  • Priorities. Everything we do in life is about priorities, and priorities dictate the way our life moves. If you do not prioritize exercise and training, you will not do it because there are so many other things and distractions that will get in our way instead. So, work today on how you are going to prioritize exercise and movement.
  • Time Management. Telling yourself that you do not have time to exercise is 99% of the time not true. You do have time, but your time management is poor. Have you ever looked at your screen time and how much of your day you are on your phone? I bet you may be spending most of your day on your phone looking at instagram, TikTock or some other mindless distraction when you could be spending that time moving and exercising. Instead, put your phone down and stretch, strengthen, work on your mobility or flexibility for 20-30 min. Want to watch your favourite show? Okay no problem, but while you are watching it, roll out a mat and exercise WHILE you watch it. Another idea, if you can, get to bed earlier and wake up earlier before your busy day gets started and exercise. Time management is everything, it gives us the freedom to do the things we love.
  • Excuses. We have all used excuses in the past and some even in the present, you may be using one right this second. As mentioned above, excuses can be valid and true at times, but they really are not serving you. You have this thing that is very valid, but it serves no purpose in your life. So what you need to do is get rid of your excuses, get them out of your life. Because once you start doing this you will all of a sudden find more time to do more things. Excuses are just justifications to make ourselves feel better.

Think of this equation the next time you want to skip out on exercise:

make exercise a priority + work on your time management skills = less excuses

If you work on making exercise a priority (in any shape or form of activity), and you work on improving your time management skills and MAKE the time for it in the week, then you will not have any excuses left to get it done. Start with 2 times a week for 5-10 min, believe me when I say, your body will thank you. And you may find out that you really like exercise. In fact, it may turn into love one day.

Now, this is not to say that if you have been working hard and training all week that taking a day off to rest is bad. IT IS NECESSARY. In fact, you should have at least 2 rest days a week if you are training or being active 3-5 days out of the week. I’m saying this for the people like myself that has not been consistently active. 5-10 min is all you need to stretch, strengthen or mobilize. Set a timer and get the thing done.

LEW xoxo

Apricot Smoothie Bowl

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With the uprise in popularity, smoothie bowls are a great way to pack in a lot of nutrition. This smoothie bowl in particular is full of vitamins and minerals from the fruit and seeds.

Apricots in particular have 1 gram of protein, 8 grams of carbs, 34 calories, 0.27 gram of fat, 1.5 grams of fibre, 8% daily value (DV) of Vitamin A and C, and 4% DV of Vit E and potassium.

If you give this recipe a try be sure to tag me on instagram!

Ingredients:
1 Frozen apricot
1/3 cup Frozen cherries
Juice of half a lemon
Thumb sized piece of ginger
3 Ice cubes
9 oz of water

Toppings:
1 Banana
4 Dried apricot
1 tsp Pumpkin seeds
1 tsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Hemp seeds
1 tsp Flax seeds

Directions:
1) Blend together all of the ingredients listed: apricot, cherries, lemon, ginger, ice cubes and water. Once smooth pour into a bowl. Add more ice if you would like a thicker smoothie. You can also add a protein powder if you would like to add more protein to your bowl.
2) Take your toppings and place them on top of your smoothie bowl in whichever fashion you would like.

Enjoy!

LEW xxx

What is Athletic Therapy?

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As many of you may know already, I am a Certified Athletic Therapist and Registered Massage Therapist. With the month of June being Athletic Therapy awareness month (I realize it’s July by the time I uploaded this, but the world is a bit different right now), I thought I would make a video explaining what athletic therapy is, the difference between athletic therapy and physiotherapy and how to become an athletic therapist. Enjoy!

How to become an Athletic Therapist

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I have been asked this a lot in recent years, which is so great to see because our college is still quite small, it’s starting to become larger but more the merrier!

Schooling

First things first, you need to go to school to become an athletic therapist. Here in Canada, you will need to complete a 4 year Bachelor’s of Applied Health Sciences Degree (BAHSc(AT)) at one of the following colleges and universities:

This program is accredited for the following entry methods only: Athletic Therapy Certificate embedded as a major within a four-year York University Kinesiology degree

  • University of Manitoba
    Ms. Jacqueline Elliott
    102 Frank Kennedy Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
    Tel. (204) 474-9143 Fax (204) 474-7634
    Email:  Jacqueline.elliott@umanitoba.ca
    Website: umanitoba.ca
  • University of Winnipeg
    Mr. Ben Trunzo
    515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9
    Tel. (204) 786-9249 Fax (204) 783-7866
    Email: b.trunzo@uwinnipeg.ca
    Website: uwinnipeg.ca 
  • Mount Royal University
    Dr. Mark Lafave
    4825 Richard Rd. S.W. Calgary, Alberta T3E 6K6
    Tel. (403) 440-6500
    Email: physedinfo@mtroyal.ca
    Website: www.mtroyal.ca
  • Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
    Dr. Philippe Fait
    Directeur de programme, concentration thérapie du sport
    Département des sciences de l’activité physique
    Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
    3351 Boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7
    Téléphone : 819 376-5011 Sans frais : 1 800 365-0922
    Email : philippe.fait@uqtr.ca
    Website : https://www.uqtr.ca/

I personally went to Sheridan College in Brampton Ontario and can speak of my personal experiences at this college. It was a fantastic program, and I had the pleasure of having both Kirsty McKenzie and Dr. Loriann Hynes as professors, they are both absolutely lovely if you will be contacting them from the list above. The facility at Sheridan college is one of the best in my opinion, there is a gym and clinic full of some of the best equipment, including an underwater treadmill (mind blown, I know). There is also multiple dedicated spaces for classrooms and labs in the program.

How do I get into the program?

Now keep in mind, I started at Sheridan College in 2008, so things may have changed since then considering that was 12 years ago (holy crumbs). But I have looked up the recent requirements on Sheridan’s website, they go as follows:

Admission RequirementsApplicant SelectionEnglish Language Proficiency
Program Eligibility
Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, including the following required courses:
• English, Grade 12 (ENG4U)
plus
• Biology, Grade 12 (U)
plus one of:
• Physics, Grade 12 (U) or
• Mathematics, Grade 12 (U) or
• Chemistry, Grade 12 (U)
plus
• Three additional Grade 12 credits at the U or M level
• Minimum 65% in each course
Or
Two semesters of postsecondary education including required courses with a minimum 65% in each course.		Eligible applicants will be selected on the basis of their previous academic achievement (the average of their six highest senior-level credits, including required courses).
Co-op experience related to Athletic Therapy is strongly recommended.
Applicants must attend an information session.		All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Sheridan’s English Proficiency Requirements.
Refer to the website for full admission requirements.

What do I learn in the program?

Once you are in the program you will have a wide range of classes over the 4 years all progressively becoming a bit more difficult but perfectly piecing it all together.

Your first year is your basic sciences including, biology, psychology, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, protective equipment and bracing, and exercise physiology. Then for the remainder of years 3-4 you ill be taking multiple levels of all the following classes: anatomy, pathophysiology, emergency care, conditions, therapeutics exercise, modalities, biomechanics, psychology, assessment and rehab, manual techniques along with clinical and field placements. All classes will be in the form of classroom lectures and labs.

Here is an attachment of what to expect: https://academics.sheridancollege.ca/-/media/files/programspdf/bachelor-of-applied-health-sciences-athletic-therapy_en.ashx

I have graduated school, now what?

You have made it through the jam packed 4 years of awesome education, congratulations! Now you have to prepare for the national exams. The exams will test your knowledge in CATA’s scope of practice and competencies in athletic therapy. This process ensures that successful certification candidates have demonstrated basic competence in athletic therapy and ensures the safety and care of the public when providing athletic therapy services to Canadians.

Now, when I was completing my national exams, we were required to do a 200 multiple choice question written exam and the next day we would complete practical exams in both field and clinical. If my memory serves me correct, the field practical exams had 2 taping, one emergency, one non-emergency and I think an on field assessment. The clinical exams included an assessment and an acute treatment and chronic treatment (return to play) of the condition you assessed.

However! Times have change and now the exam is just a 200 multiple choice question written exam. I personally think the association should have kept the practicals in there, but that is just my input.

Then once you pass everything, you are now a Certified Athletic Therapist, CAT(C). Yay!

What is the difference between Canadian and American Athletic Therapy?

Here in Canada we are referred as certified athletic therapists (CAT(C)) under the Canadian Athletic Therapist Association (CATA) and in the states they are known as athletic trainer certified (ATC) under the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA).

For more information on how to become an Athletic Therapist in Canada: https://athletictherapy.org/en

For more information on how to become an Athletic Trainer in America: https://www.nata.org

If you have any more questions on how to become an athletic therapist please visit the links above or you can find me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewslife_/ or in my contact box on my website: https://lewslife.com/contact/

What is the difference between Athletic Therapy and Physiotherapy? Click here to read more.

T’s and Y’s

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LOVE this exercise!

This targets the mid traps, lower traps and rhomboids. Great for shoulder stabilization and strength. It is also fantastic for re-education of the muscle firing patterns within the body and decrease the upper traps from doing everything and causing neck and shoulder pain.

Thumbs up and in a T position = Mid Trap

Starting and end position

Thumbs down and in a T position = Rhomboids

Starting and end position

Thumbs up and in a Y position = Lower Traps

Starting and end position

Proper Form:

Laying on the ground roll up a towel and place it under your forehead so you can breathe without having to turn your head to one side, this will help prevent a strain in your neck. Arms at shoulder height and thumbs up – lift your arms up and squeeze your shoulder blades together (you should feel this in your mid back). Then in the same ’T’ position, put your thumbs down and lift your arms up off the ground (you should feel this in your mid back). The last position is in a ‘Y’ position, put your thumbs up and lift your arms off the ground (you should feel this in your mid to lower back).

Music from: https://www.bensound.com

Once you become really good at this exercise you can then add tension from a resistance band and do this exercise standing up (such as what you can see in the attached video below).

IMPORTANT: Be sure you are contracting your shoulders back and down with a chin tuck before each repetition, it is important to be firing the right muscles with this exercise. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you go into the resistance, this may help to decrease over firing of the upper traps. You should not feel this exercise in your upper neck or into your head, if you do, reset your shoulder blades and chin tuck and try again.

Please Keep This Disclaimer in Mind:

Articles are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. We cannot and do not provide medical advice or specific advice on products related to treatments of a disease or illness.

You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers.

You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on our website.

It is your responsibility to consult with your professional health care providers before starting any diet changes, exercise or supplementation program, and before taking; varying the dosage and / or ceasing to take any medication.

We do not collect any personal information or store cookies.  You can turn off cookies on your web browsers.

Foods that will worsen or improve menstrual cramps

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It is 5 am, and you have just been woken up by a visit from mother nature and you feel as though there are 1000 kittens clawing at your insides. We have all been there one too many times, but did you know you could make this feel better or worse through diet?

From my research online, I am here to give you the coles notes version of which foods will make your time of the month, a walk in the park or like a snowball’s chance in hell.

Foods that will make matters worse:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324673.php

Sugar: Yes, we all have the sugar crave around this time of the month. Fun fact, this is because our stress hormone, cortisol spikes just before our periods come and serotonin, our mood balancing hormone, tends to dip. This deadly combination results in cravings for sweets, carbs and fatty foods. However, eating this type of food will actually disrupt our natural blood sugar levels. With a spike in blood sugar levels, you will get higher mood swings and more tension within the body.

https://www.thebodyhealer.com/nutrition-and-healthy-living/dirty-dozen/processed-refined-foods

Refined Food and Processed Foods: First of all, refined foods have been highly processed so that the natural grain is no longer intact and stripped of all nutritional value. They include but are not limited to: white bread, white pasta, white rice, white sugar, breakfast cereals, and bagels. They are all simple carbohydrates and are hidden with a load of sugar, this is why our bodies crave it over and over again. It gives the body a quick huge spike in sugar and this is followed by an even larger crash. Same thing goes for processed foods such as cakes, cookies, crackers and chips. Due to how they are made and what they are made with, it will cause havoc within your body and therefore increase inflammation.

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2019/fried-foods-death-risk-study.html

Fried foods: According to a study by the Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, fried foods such as pizza, fries, and donuts will all cause inflammation in the body, and this can be linked to an increase in period pain. I get it, we all need carbs at this time of the month, so maybe go for a piece of whole grain toast or 23g of carbs from a banana instead.

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats

Saturated Fats: These consist of fatty cuts of meat, dark meat, high fat dairy foods, tropical oils such as: coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. Not only is high amounts of this food bad for your health, but they will cause inflammation within the body. As we already discussed above, an increase in inflammation will increase menstrual pain.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dairy-health-food-or-health-risk-2019012515849

Dairy: I’m not bashing dairy, this is a great source of calcium, however, if you go over board on that block of cheese and all of a sudden there is only one slice left…you may be in trouble. According to Healthline, dairy can cause your menstrual pain to worsen due to the bloating, gas and diarrhea that it can cause within the body.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/the-nations-addiction-to-fizzy-drinks-reaps-16-5m-from-new-tax-37674178.html

Fizzy drinks: This is due to the bloating and gas they can cause within the body, therefore, inflammation. This includes: pop, carbonated water, beer, and alcoholic drinks. This actually leads me to my next item on the list.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2017/05/alcohol-proof-determined/

Alcohol: According to the New York Times, alcohol can make PMS symptoms worse and prolong the menstrual cramping. So it may be a good idea to put down that glass of red wine this week.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/nutrition/are-coffee-and-tea-actually-dehydrating/ar-AAEd65V

Tea and coffee: Due to the caffeine found in both of these lovely energy packed drinks, this can increase estrogen levels and therefore PMS symptoms.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-red-meat-bad-for-your-heart-or-not/

Red Meat: Yes, we as women are often told to eat more of this to decrease anemia or iron deficiency. However, this is often loaded with saturated fat, and this can cause inflammation within the body, which in turn, can lead to cramps. Maybe opt the red meat out for a omega rich food such as salmon, as this has healthy nutrients your body needs. If you do not eat meat, dark  leafy greens it is!

https://www.spiceography.com/table-salt-vs-sea-salt/

Salt: Too much of something, is never a good thing, especially when this comes to salt. Too much salt will cause bloating and this will increase menstrual pain.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/legumes-a-quick-and-easy-switch-to-improve-your-diet

Legumes: Did you know beans can cause you to bloat, yup, this is the cause of the adverse reaction that will clear a room. So while on your period avoid beans such as black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils and peas.

What do all of these foods have in common? Inflammation – they are all infamous for causing inflammation in the body.  You are probably thinking…so what do you eat instead to decrease this lovely natural movement in the body?

Foods to eat to improve PMS and menstrual cramps:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/bananas-nutrition-facts-health-benefits-recipes-risks/

Bananas: This magical fruit is amazing during that time of the month. Being rich in fibre will help to cause a bowel movement, which in turn will help decrease bloating and less pain. As an added bonus, they contain magnesium, this will help to relax the muscles from cramping. Just keep in mind that they do contain a lot of sugar so try to not go over board.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-lemon-health-benefits

Lemons: They contain vitamin C and at this time of the month you want to get a lot of this in your diet. This being because vitamin C helps the body absorb iron better, and if you are absorbing iron better, you will have more energy. They also contain fibre and this will help with muscle spasms.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29942/which-came-first-orange-color-or-orange-fruit

Oranges: This is the top food for anyone with period pain. Not only does it contain more vitamin C then lemons, it also contains magnesium, potassium, and vitamin D. All nutrients that will help your body through anything it may be battling.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-pick-a-watermelon

Watermelon: This is a great fruit to consume during your time of the month because of how hydrating it is. Hydration is important to decrease muscle spasms along with the magnesium you can get from the other foods mentioned above. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266765.php

Broccoli: This is another great contender to battling menstrual cramps due to the iron and fibre it contains.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale

Kale: Another great food for the reasons similar to broccoli and other greens, this great leaf is amazing for boosting your immune system.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-benefits-of-chamomile-tea

Drinks: Water, Chamomile, ginger tea, peppermint tea, raspberry leaf tea – all great for hydrating, decreasing bloating, soothing your bowels, and have anti-inflammatory properties.

So sticking to whole foods like fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and digestible grains can help to decrease the inflammation caused in the body. Whole foods contain nutrients that will help your nerves, hormones and muscles relax at this time of the month. This in turn, will help with all around health within your beautiful body.

References:

https://www.insider.com/foods-to-avoid-when-you-have-period-cramps-2018-5

https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/cramps/foods-for-cramps-relief

https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/08/07/how-to-deal-with-period-cravings_a_23069359/

Please Keep This Disclaimer in Mind:

Articles are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. We cannot and do not provide medical advice or specific advice on products related to treatments of a disease or illness.

You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers.

You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on our website.

It is your responsibility to consult with your professional health care providers before starting any diet changes, exercise or supplementation program, and before taking; varying the dosage and / or ceasing to take any medication.

We do not collect any personal information or store cookies.  You can turn off cookies on your web browsers.

Squat, because no one raps about little butts

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This month’s exercise is a squat. This is a fantastic all around full body exercise that is very functional for everyday life. Have I convinced you yet to give it a try?

Targets: quadriceps. Also incorporates: gluteus maximus, aductor magnus, soleus, hamstrings, gastrocnemius, erector spinae, rectus abdominis, obliques.

How To: Squat down by bending your hips back, as if you are sitting in a chair, while allowing knees to bend forward being sure to not extend them too far past the toes, keeping your back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet (towards the 2nd and 3rd toes). Descend until thighs are just past parallel to floor. Extend knees and hips until legs are straight. Return and repeat. 

Photo on the Left: 90 degree body weight squat.
Photo on the Right: Low squat – Go this low if you have the mobility and it does not hurt your back or knees. Do not think you have to go this low to have an effective squat, I personally would not be this deep lifting a heavy amount of weight. You can play with the depth of your squat and find your most powerful position.

Important to keep in mind: Keep your head facing forward, back straight and feet flat on floor; equal distribution of weight throughout forefoot and heel. Knees should point same direction as feet throughout movement. Core engaged, shoulders back and down with chin tucked and squeeze your glutes on the way back up. Once you add a bar, DO NOT place the bar on the back of your neck, be sure it is placed on the top of your shoulders (feel for the ‘shelf’).

What do I do with my hands? Well, this depends on how you are doing the squat.

If you are doing a body weight squat, you can put them out in front of you or cross your arms over your chest. If you are doing the exercise with a dowel or the squat bar, place the dowel behind you placed on your shoulders, NOT your neck, and have your hands equally on both sides holding the bar in place.

Photo on the Left: Wrong bar placement (back of neck)
Photo on the Right: Correct bar placement (shoulder ‘shelf’)

Once you start to become a natural at this exercise then you can start switching it up by changing how and where you hold the squat bar (i.e. front squat vs. back squat), you can bring in different gym equipment like a barbell or kettlebell, or change the positioning of your feet and legs. There is just so much you can do, isn’t it so exciting?!

This is a great all around exercise to become comfortable and familiar with. Give it a try today with your body weight alone, then add in a dowel, and finally progress to a squat bar as your biomechanics improve.