The squat is considered by most people to be an exercise that primarily targets the legs. But here’s a lil’ secret from our chiropractic fitness experts:

When you do it right, it can actually be a full body workout. A movement that targets just about every muscle group in your body.

This makes it one of the most efficient and effective exercises a person can perform. Whether you have 5 minutes or 45 minutes a day, doing squats over a period of several weeks or months is bound to pay off.

So, the question then becomes: what is the right way to do a squat? Unlike eating Reese’s peanut butter cups (which we strongly advise against), there is a wrong way and a right way. And we’re going to teach you the latter.

But first, we should clarify a few things, like why is it important to do squats in the first place?

The short answer is, as stated above, it’s extremely effective. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or both, the squat can help you accomplish your chiropractic fitness goals fast.

The long answer is:

It’s one of the most basic foundational moves in any fitness routine. We’ve been doing squats since we came out of the womb. Over time, as we began sitting in the same position all day long, our squat form became basically nonexistent. Many of us don’t know how to properly do a squat at all.

Prior to modern-day technology and furniture, the squat was the way to sit, whether you were reading a book, using the bathroom, or both. Here’s proof: ever heard of the Squatty Potty? It naturally puts your body in the most optimal position for using the toilet. It’s inspiration lies in the bathrooms of third-world countries that don’t have modern plumbing. The company’s tagline is “the best poop of your life.” They must be on to something, because they’ve made millions…

It doesn’t leave anything out. You don’t just use your legs to squat. You use your hips, core, back, and even your shoulders and arms for balance. This compound movement is a challenge for multiple muscle groups, giving you a total body workout with fast results.

Squatting will make you a better athlete. Whether you’re running a marathon or giving birth, this movement builds strength in areas that many people would call “weak,” including your knees and hips. This makes you stronger which leads to better athleticism overall. This is a critical training move if you play any type of competitive sport.

In short, with squats, you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck. It’s no surprise why this exercise is in just about every chiropractic fitness routine, and most experts would recommend you perform at least 2-3 times per week.

So let’s get to the goods … how do you make the most out of this incredible movement?

How to Squat Down Like a Chiropractic Fitness Pro:

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width and your toes pointing slightly outward (~5 to 20 degrees).

Keep your head up and look straight out in front of you at a spot on the wall. Keep your head and gaze in this position throughout the exercise.

Put your hands around chest-height with your elbows bent as though you’re holding an imaginary medicine ball.

Ensure your weight is equally distributed on the heels and balls of your feet as if they were glued to the ground. Your toes should be able to move the entire time (though you won’t actually move them as part of the exercise.)

Tighten your abs and keep your core engaged throughout the movement.

While breathing in and bending your knees, send your hips backward as though sitting in a chair. Keeping your back straight, your chest and shoulders up, and your spine in a neutral position, be sure your knees stay in line with your feet and don’t move past your toes. Continue to squat until your hip joint is lower than your knees.

How to Come Back Up:

Keep your core engaged and everything tight, and drive through your heels to return to a standing position. Make sure the balls of your feet stay firmly planted and squeeze your glutes at the top.

Once you master your bodyweight squat technique, you may want to try adding a little extra weight to the movement by trading that imaginary medicine ball for a real one! But concentrate on mastering this exercise with just your bodyweight for now. Any chiropractic fitness expert will tell you that proper technique is crucial to getting the results you want in a least amount of time.

If you’d like to know for sure that you’re doing the squat properly, give us a call to schedule an office consultation! We’ll include a mini-lesson on squatting along with an X-ray, any necessary diagnostic testing, and your first adjustment for just $50!

Still not sure if chiropractic fitness is right for you? Click here to request a free phone consultation, and one of our doctors will call you to discuss your goals and needs.

Yoga is a wonderful way to de-stress and detoxify your body. If you’re looking for a form of exercise that will help you build and tone lean muscle, while increasing your flexibility and mental clarity through regular, meditative practice, you may want to consider yoga.

However, studio sessions can be quite expensive. If you’re on a budget, an at-home yoga practice might be your best option. Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned veteran, starting an in-home regimen is not very difficult, and you can definitely do it on a tight budget! Here are some tips for starting a yoga practice at home.

#1: First, get all of your gear in order. At the very least, you need a good yoga mat. You may also want to invest in a strap, a bolster, and a pair of yoga blocks. (Those will be extremely helpful if you are not very flexible and just starting out.)

#2: Designate a space in your home to practice on a regular basis. It is best if you lay your mat on a hard surface so that it won’t slip, and make sure you have plenty of room to move and stretch.

#3: Decide how often and when you will practice. And don’t stop there! Put it on your calendar. Making it a task on your to-do list will help you stick to it. There will be days when you’ll wake up and won’t feel like exercising, but try to get in the habit of doing it anyway (unless you’re sick or injured.) Morning yoga is a great way to start your day and get your mind in gear for maximum productivity. Evening yoga is fantastic for winding down after a hard day’s work. You may want to consider your work schedule when deciding whether to practice at sun-up or sun-down, and vary the time according to your expectations for the rest of your day.

#4: Download a program from doyogawithme.com, and use it to guide you through your practice. Do Yoga With Me is a website full of free resources for aspiring yogis! There are tons of tutorials, videos, and programs you can do right in the comfort of your home without spending a dime. However, if you use it regularly and enjoy the videos, we recommend that you make a donation to support the creators and keep the site alive!

#5: Attend a yoga class in person once a month. This is optional, but I highly recommend it, simply because doing yoga in the presence of a professional, certified instructor can be extremely helpful. An instructor can assist you by assessing whether you’re performing certain stretches correctly, thereby helping you achieve more difficult poses with minimal risk for injury.

We occasionally hold a yoga class in our Charlotte chiropractic office for just $5! Call us at (980) 422-2000, or check out our events calendar to find out when the next session will be held and reserve your spot!

It’s official: we are living in a world of slouchers.

The increasing use of computers and mobile devices causes us to shift our head, neck, and shoulders downward for hours at a time, while sitting at a desk or even when we’re standing upright or walking.

It’s easy to curve into a bad postural position and not even realize you’re doing it until you stand up and feel the pain that results from doing so for long periods. But obtaining good posture is essential to your overall health, wellbeing, and productivity.

As a Charlotte chiropractor who adjusts patients week after week whose jobs require them to sit and use a computer, I can attest to the fact that “text neck” is becoming a sad reality. However, all hope is not lost! There are ways to practice and establish better posture over time. Here are five exercises you can do daily to help give your spine a healthy curve.

#1: Crunches

Crunches better your posture by strengthening your core muscles. To do a crunch correctly, lie down with your back flat against the floor and your knees bent. Place your hands lightly on the back of your head with your elbows spread wide, and using your core, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor while “crunching” your abdomen.

#2: Wall angels

These are like snow angels, but you do them while standing straight up, feet hips-width apart, with your head and back against the wall. This exercise helps to strengthen your upper back, while forcing your head into proper alignment.

#3: Cat/Cow

Another core strengthener, cat/cow is popular among yogis! It’s a great exercise to increase spine flexibility, stretch the neck and torso, relieve stress, and calm the mind.

Start out on all fours with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. (This is also called tabletop pose.) To move into cow pose, inhale as you drop your belly toward your mat, arching your back while looking up toward the ceiling and pushing your shoulders back and down, away from your ears. To move into cat pose, exhale as you round the spine toward the ceiling while drawing your bellybutton inward. Alternate between these two positions.

#4: Head Weighting

Head weighting helps to move your spine into proper alignment with your head and neck. This exercise is a practice employed in Maximized Living chiropractic offices (like Queen City Health Center!) We encourage our patients to wear their head weights once a day for anywhere from 2-20 minutes. Click here to purchase a head weighting system from our Maximized Living store.

#5: Cobra

Like cat/cow, cobra is another popular yoga pose that increases spine flexibility while strengthening and stretching the chest and shoulders. It also helps to open up the lungs, which is great for alleviating respiratory issues.

To move into this pose, begin by lying face down with your legs extended behind you and the tops of your feet resting on the floor. Place your hands directly under your shoulders and point your fingers forward while hugging your elbows into the side of your body. Pressing down through the tops of your feet and pubic bone, spread your toes, inhale, and gently lift your head and chest off the floor. Keeping your lower ribs on the floor, draw your shoulders back and down away from your ears and lift your heart. Begin straightening your arms to lift your chest while pressing the tops of your thighs down firmly. You can stay here in low cobra or deepen the stretch by straightening your arms, but only do so as much as your flexibility allows.

In a previous post, we outlined the process for achieving a bikini body in just 6 minutes a day! If you haven’t yet, make sure you read that post before doing the exercises outlined below, as it provides the timing and spacing for each exercise.

What’s great about this workout is you can do it anywhere! No need to buy expensive equipment or spend money on a gym membership (unless you really want to.) This can be done in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a timer to keep track of how long you’re doing each exercise. And when you go on your summer vacation, you don’t have to haul any weights, bars, or bands to your destination. All of these exercises can be done without additional equipment.

Here’s your 6-minute, 6-exercise workout recipe for a total bikini body!

Exercise 1: Burpees

Begin standing straight up with your feet hips-width apart and your hands down by your side. Squat down and plant your hands on the floor on either side of your feet. Jump your feet back to land in a pushup position, jump forward again to return to the squat, and jump straight up into the air to land in the original position with your feet planted.

Exercise 2: Lunges

Stand straight up with your feet together, planted flat on the floor, and your hands down by your side. Lunge forward with one leg until your thigh and calf form a 90-degree angle in front of you. Return to the original position and repeat with your other leg.

Exercise 3: Mountain Climbers

Begin in a pushup position, supporting your weight with your hands and toes. Flexing the hip and bending the knee, bring one leg forward until the knee is under the hip. Explosively reverse the position of your legs so that the bent knee is now straight behind you and the first leg is now bent. Repeat.

Exercise 4: Calf Jumps

Begin standing straight up with your feet planted hips-width apart and your hands down by your sides. Flexing your calves, come up on to the balls of your feet, and jump straight up into the air. Keeping your knees straight, land on the balls of your feet and repeat this motion.

Exercise 5: Crunches

Begin lying flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet parallel to the floor. Place your hands behind your head for support. Engage your core muscles to lift your head, neck, and shoulders up off the floor, keeping your elbows wide and taking care not to pull on your head with your hands as you come up.

Exercise 6: Knee Tucks

Begin standing with your knees slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold your hands in front of you so your arms are parallel to the floor, about chest height. Engaging your core muscles, jump straight up and bring your knees into your chest. Land with your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact, and repeat.

Together, these exercises make up a complete whole-body workout that can be completed in as little as 15 minutes a day (with only 6 minutes of actual hard exercise). The interval training format helps you burn fat in less time, so you’ll be well on your way to the bikini body you’ve always wanted!

For a daily, total-body, fat-burning regimen with more variety, check out the MaxT3 DVD, available in our online store!