Squat for Your Health

Sitting on our butts all day is literally killing us.

In a March 26 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine," researchers reported that people who spend 11 or more hours a day sitting are 40 percent more likely to die over the next three years regardless of how physically active they are. The study also found that sitting all day has been linked to higher mortality rates than with people who are obese.

How can we avoid becoming a statistic in this study and still get our work done?

I propose this: Get in 25 squats an hour everyday during the workday. No room or fancy equipment is needed, only you and a space big enough to squat. Set a time on your phone or computer to alert you every hour and have at it. 

Squatting is the most basic movement we do, but it has tremendous benefits to our health like strength building, maintains and improves stability and balance, and burns fat.  From sitting at your desk, to going the bathroom, to lounging on the couch, we all squat to get there. Also, squatting once an hour will give you a mental break from the workday and allows for a moment to focus on something other than work. And it will only take two minutes an hour.

If you are in a leadership position, have your employees squat before and after meetings. Make fitness part of the company culture. Insurance companies may give the company policy a break because of the culture of fitness being fostered.

If you teach, why not have the students crank out 25 squats before the class begins? In the Dartmouth study, "Differential Effects of Acute and Regular Physical Exercise on Cognition and Affect," one of the stated highlights of the study is regular physical exercise enhanced recognition memory and decreased stress. Having kids do some squats at the beginning of every class may improve concentration and memory. Much better than spitballs and paper airplanes!

When you get home from a long day of work, use this time to knock out 25 squats with your significant other, kids or by yourself.  Heck, 25 squats before dinner with the family may create a bonding experience with the kids and reinforce how important exercise is for them.

Twenty-five squats an hour is not the magic bullet to losing weight. It is a step or squat in the right direction. Moving for just a short period each hour will improve and possibly save your life. We all have time for that.