The Very First Squat

Welcome aspiring health fanatic, here’s your bag of avocados, yoga mat and ultra cushioned sneakers. 

I’m just kidding, but that stuff is great. I’ve found it kind of funny how quickly I have become known as a health fanatic among my family and friends, even while weighing 221 pounds, and most days trying to find my own way into a world that is somewhat new to me still. 

So…our topic today? The first squat, or step..or whatever your equivalent is. For many who haven’t exercised much before, the idea of making a routine, and getting into those first few sweaty movements can be very intimidating. 

Don’t burn to many brain cells trying to wrap your mind around it, sit back, have a read, and get started. Preferably tomorrow, not next week.

Becauseee 

Before you even write down one rep of anything, here are 3 huge tips to keep in mind. 

1. Execution before speed. Practise form to prevent injury, and do it slowly before you worry about burning through a work out. 
2. Start wherever you need to. Can you only do 5 toe touches? Good do that for a week and you’ll get where you want to be before you know it. 
3. A bad attitude never made a difficult task any less difficult. 

For example, when I began exercising with a 300 pound 13 year old, we only did 10 exercises, and it was only 10 of each. But here are some questions to help you build your routine. 

When do you have the most energy? 

When do you have the most free time? 

Are you comfortable moving around in public or will you be self conscious and maybe not give full effort? 

Do you want a work out buddy? 

Do you need to rearrange a room to have the space to exercise? 

What parts of your body do you most want to improve or slim down? 

There are tons of exercise videos on YouTube, but I actually steal most of my inspiration from Pinterest. 

Remember, it doesn’t matter your age, ability or size, there are plenty of movements that anyone can do. My roommates, which I often call my hamsters and myself range from teenagers to nearly elderly, and I have lasting injuries from a car accident, but we all manage to do this together, even if some of us must do modified versions. 

A tired Hamster is a healthy Hamster.