I came across an article on squatting…not the kind of squats you do in the gym, rather a squat like you’d do when you’re a kid and you want to bend down to get something. Remember that?
Kids squat very naturally. Rarely do they bend from the waist to do something when they’re 2 or 3 years old. As adults, we rarely squat. And it’s not good. Squatting has been shown to have significant physiological (there’s a big word!) benefits to your health. In fact, some reports say that people who can squat their whole life may live up to 3 years longer!
There are 7 things I think people should be able to do their whole life. And if they did and they could, it would probably mean they would live with better quality and maybe even live longer than those who cannot.
They are:
1) a squat, as mentioned above. This is not a deep knee bend, rather a traditional squat. You can see one here – https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/learn-malasana
2) sitting cross-legged, not necessarily with the legs intertwined, but just crossed…like this…
Not only for back pain, but being able to sit cross legged your whole life is a good quality of life indicator.
3) walk fast, just short of a jog or run, but a jog or a run would be good too! Strolling or walking is necessary, but walking fast shows good balance, rhythm, stability, joint function, etc.
4) Bend over 90 degrees from the waist without bending the knees…you don’t have to reach your toes, but 90 degrees would be great!
5) pull your heel to your bottom, like this…
Pulling your heel to your bottom is one of the seven things you should be able to do your whole life.
6) touch your chin to your shoulder when looking left and right…like an owl!…well, not quite that far, but keeping that neck mobile is valuable.
7) stand tall against the wall so that your heels, bottom, shoulder blades, and head touch the wall without having to bend your neck back…like the wall check we might have taught you at the clinic. If you didn’t learn it, let me know at your next visit and I’ll show you. Here’s a video of me talking about it on YouTube – https://youtu.be/iKt32bBqBzk
The wall check starts at 1:30 in the video if you want to jump to it.
These 7 items are not just about being able to do them or how you look by being able to do them, rather they show your body’s ability to carry out fundamental tasks not just on the outside, but also on the inside.
And when your insides and outsides work well, you’ll have a good life!
Let me know if you have any questions. And if you need help getting your body back to being able to do any of these 7 items, well…you know where to find me!