I’ve become a bit frustrated with myself of late, I need to exercise but it’s hard to find the time and the inclination. I live with chronic pain and like most people I have good and bad days, so it can be hard for me to absolutely commit to doing Pilates every Thursday, or to go swimming each Monday, because I never really know how good, or not so good I’ll feel. That’s at least one of my excuses, so I’m sticking to it.

I’ve decided to set myself a squat challenge for March. I’ve seen these kind of challenges before and they’re pretty much designed for reasonably fit and healthy people, not for slightly wonky people like me who make a noise when they stand up. Now I’m no fitness instructor, I have no qualifications (consider this a disclaimer of sorts), but I know from various Pilates and Yoga classes, and from my rehab physios that doing squats is pretty good for me and my condition, which is basically a ruined spine, nerve damage and constant pain. Yay me.

Even though I can’t always feel my legs, I feel happier when they are feeling strong, so I know that squats will help this, as well as helping to give me buns of steel.

Why do squats?

A quick search of the internet throws up many many good reasons for including squatting in your daily exercise regime, these include –

• Buns of steel – you get a nice toned bum!
• Squatting can work your lower body, helping to strengthen your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, lower back (yay) and even your abs and as a result squatting will help you burn fat.
• Squatting helps to strengthen your muscles, joints and ligaments and improved the flexibility in your ankles, knees, hips and back .
• Improves core strength and stability.
• Squats can also (apparently) help to combat cellulite and firm up your thighs.

I’ve created this Squat Challenge for me to do in March, it starts off super-easy. I’m pretty sure I can do 10 squats with no trouble at all, but the thought of doing 70 squats in a day sounds like it might hurt, but by slowly increasing the number of squats I do each day seems to me to be more doable. I’m not going to pressure myself to do them all in one go, I might break them up into sets of 10 or so and do them each time I go in the kitchen. I’ve printed off my Squat Challenge calendar so I’ll just stick that to the fridge and cross them off as I do them.

If you’re not sure how to to do squat correctly then the video below is great and gives tips for people like me how have mobility and stability issues. I always make sure I’m near something I can grab should I lose my balance, and like she says in the video, you can always add weights to help make things more challenging once you’ve got the posture right.

Like I said, I’m no health and fitness expert, but I’ve devised this Squat Challenge just for me and my physical limitations and needs,  but you’re welcome to join me during March in my quest for buns of steel. Who’s in?

You can download my FREE Squat Challenge Calendar here.