It wasn’t a kiss that left me weak-kneed today, or (yet) another county/state budget crisis. No, what made my legs go noodle limp were a couple of squats.
Today marked the conclusion of the third week of the Sustainable Me Project. Since I started this journey with Katy, I’ve added Earth shoes to my wardrobe, and added some other things to my life. Regular walking segments. Calf stretches. Hip strength and opening movements. Alignment challenges. Arm exercises. And what’s exciting to me is that I’m finding myself integrating these movements – because that’s what they are – into my daily lifestyle. For a fairly regimented person, this is a novel idea…that I don’t have to “set aside” 15 minutes to do arm exercises. I can do these arm movements while standing in line at the bank. Today, while waiting for an appointment, I managed to complete my daily goal of side-to-side movements, which are building up my hip muscles and are significantly improving my balance. For me, this is a paradigm shift. This isn’t a fitness routine: these are sustainability boosters that require only a simple piece of gym equipment that is really portable: my body.
Today was about squats. When you’re young, you squat a lot (at least I did…mostly because there were really cool things to look at down on the ground, like bugs, tiny flowers, dropped cheerios). The muscles used in squatting are vital to hip strength, pelvic floor strength, core strength. And there’s some evidence that strong muscles in these areas can help with issues that plague many women, such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and incontinence.
I’ve become acutely aware of the need to maintain strength as I grow older. I’ve seen my dad, in particular, struggle with self-care in recent years, requiring assistance bars throughout the house. This concerns me. I want to age, and I want to age well.
Katy showed me four things that I can do readily, that I can easily add to my daily routine…four things that will result in a huge pay-off in terms of rapidly increasing strength and helping me to assure my sustainability as I grow older. To facilitate your understanding of these exercises (and for your viewing pleasure), Katy will post photos of the activities on her blog later. (And hey, I wore large sweatpants today and these pictures aren’t about looking regal, but about being REAL. This is me on my lunch hour, trying to improve my life. It ain’t pretty, but it’s making me feel better. And the walls in Katy’s studio are a lovely coral color that does much to boost my mood).
1. Half-dome squat. You actually need two half-dome styrofoam blocks for this activity, and stretching your calves is key to doing this successfully. Put two half-dome blocks on the floor, long-wise. Put your heel on the curve of the half-dome. Now, gently squat down, arms straight in front of you. Try to keep your weight on your heels, and scoot your butt out behind you. Really keep your weight on your heels…try to lift your toes up. You won’t fall back, but even if you did, it’s what, a few inches? And it’s not like I’ll be there to take your picture. Just do it. Really. You’ll be fine.
I’m actually a pretty good squatter, and was able to get down low and dirty. But here’s the killer part. Without using forward momentum, try to slowly stand up, using not your quads, but other muscles. I couldn’t do it. But you know what…I’m guessing within a week I’ll be able to. Try to do 3-5 of these a day.
2. Toilet squat. Okay, you could use a stool for this, but since you’re probably using the restroom 6-7 times a day, why not just commit to doing this every time you go? Seem strange? Think how much better your bathroom looks without assist bars above the toilet paper roll.
Sitting on the toilet, get up as described in 1, arms in front of you, weight back on heels, toes lifted. Try to use hip muscles, don’t just rely on your quads. Don’t use your arms to push up, or to pull you up. This is similar to the half-dome squat, except that you’re up higher. It’s hard. Commit to doing this 3x every time you use the restroom.
3. Assisted deeper squat (door). For this activity, you’ll need a door. Open a door, and grasp the door handles with your hands. Gently lower yourself into a squatting position. Make sure that your knees are positioned somewhat over your heels, and that the outside of your feet are straight (no duck feet here). Now, put your weight back on your heels…press down if you will. Try to lift your toes up. Now, pushing down through your heels, push up. Don’t just rely on those buff arms to pull you up. And don’t rely on the forward momentum you could get by putting weight on your toes. Tougher than it sounds. 2-3 of these a day – only 2-3! – will pay large dividends.
4. Chair squat. This emerged as my favorite, not because it’s the easiest, but because I can do it every time I get up from my chair. EVERY TIME. Sitting in your chair, push your heels down. Weight on your heels. Lift your toes up. Put your arms in front of you. Push up with your heels (no forward momentum from leaning forward on feet allowed…keep those toes lifted!). Seems deceptively easy. Try it, and you’ll see it’s a paradigm shift for most of us. We tend to pull ourselves up from our chairs, or push up by leveraging a surface like a desktop.
Tonight, my legs aren’t sore. They feel used. In a good way. Noodle legs, begone!
