Squats

So I like to go to the gym and go to the classes. It is good because it makes me feel good about myself. Even though all I had to eat all day was sugar and an apple, I go to the gym and I like to think it evens itself out. Ok maybe not but I like to think that. Well lately I've been going to the "Pump" class. This class is so intense I barely make it through. (Yeah it has been a few weeks since I've been.) In Pump class they make you do lots of hard, strenuous moves and they expect you to use heavy weights. I go to class, get my stuff out, grab 5 pound weights because the 3 pounds are gone, and finish off by grabbing a bar. No I don't put weights on the end of my bar, have you seen me? They are lucky I even grab a bar! So the teacher always starts out with Squats. They are supposed to be good for you and work your butt and legs. I'm just trying to not collapse after the third squat. When you do a squat it is important that you have good form. So I've really been trying to get good form so I do them properly so that hopefully it will do me some good. I'm proud to say that I think I have a pretty good squat. I can't do as many as the teacher or squat quite as low but I think my form has improved. So lately I've been thinking, "Squats have to be good for something other than exercising. There has to be a good way for me to put this new skill to use and use it in daily life." So I was at work and I bent over to put some water in my bottle from the Mt. Olympus Water Cooler. These water coolers are annoyingly small. Or maybe I'm a bit tall. If I bend over properly to push the spout handle for the water to come out, my butt sticks out for all to see and my hair hangs in my face preventing me from seeing how full my bottle is. (I've been known to spill the water) If I don't bend over properly my back hurts and I look really hunchbacked. So the other day I decided to put my new skill of squatting to use. I did a squat (legs wide, not the chair kind) and sat there in good form to fill my water bottle. People, my legs were burning! But hey, I found a new use for the squat that can be used outside of the gym. Then a week later I was being the good housekeeper that I am and cleaning my bathroom. I was cleaning the walls of the shower/bathtub and I get tired from bending over to go up and down the wall. Again I was bending improperly. So I decided to use the Squat to improve my bathroom cleaning experience. Guess what? Yes, it worked. Not only was I cleaning my bathroom, but I was getting in a very good workout as well. I went up and down in squats while my arm was outstretched with a scrubber in my hand. I was very tired and sweating but I think if I keep this up I will eventually have strong legs! (and a clean bathroom!)

Well the point of this blog is to let the few people who read it know that the squats the teachers make you do in class every week are not completely pointless. They can be very useful in daily life.

Positive things I have found about squats:
1. I sit at a desk all day so being able to squat while filling my water bottle has really improved my blood circulation!
2. Squats may be painful and tiring and make your legs burn, but on the bright side, you won't have to worry about pulling a muscle in your back from bending over improperly anymore!