Have you tried this simple exercise?
Squats are highly underrated. This simple form of exercise is enormously beneficial to the body; not only building muscle but also assisting the body to improve mental, physical and emotional health. Squats can be performed anywhere without the need for any special equipment. Below are just three reasons to do squats.
Improving your Digestive System
Squats naturally improve the flow of bodily fluids and so help in the removal of waste from the body. Deep squats encourage the muscles involved in the digestive and elimination process to relax during the digestive process and increase the rate of blood flow, ensuring food is easily digested and elimination is effortless.
Improves Mobility and Balance
Squats not only strengthen the lower body and legs; they also strengthen our core. We use our lats (latissimus dorsi), abdominal muscles, glutes and hip flexors when correctly performing a squat. This naturally increases our core strength which, in turn, improves our overall mobility, flexibility and balance. This is especially important as we age, and can prevent falls, back issues and general good health.
Injury Prevention
Performing squats regularly plays an important part in sports injury prevention. Many sports involve running; squats target all the main muscle groups used when running – our core, hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps. All active sports put stress on the knees and hips, but the muscle strength gained through performing squats helps prevent serious injury to hips and knees.
Once you’ve mastered the basic squat, you can move on to other squats such as the wide-legged squat, which targets the inner thighs and groin area or the jumping squat, which adds a cardio dimension to your workout.
Performing squats not only improves muscular strength, posture, bone health, mobility, stability and the digestive system, but studies have shown that this simple exercise can also prevent and/or reduce the symptoms of depression.