If you were to do 10 squats every time there's an advertisement break on This Morning, you'd do 550 squats in a week. It's a "life-changing" amount of exercise if you don't normally do any, says Dr Zoe Williams, an NHS GP and frequent guest on the ITV show.
Strength training is a valuable way to improve your longevity. That's not only living for longer, but living with a better quality of life. Picking up a set of dumbbells or doing bodyweight exercises boosts muscle mass, bone density, joint strength, helps keep blood sugar levels stable, and improves brain health.
Typically, the NHS suggests doing two strength workouts per week. With this simple hack applied to your own life and habits, the doctor says you can reap the same benefits.
"If our viewers are watching Monday till Friday, that's 550 squats in a week. Now, I guarantee if you do 550 squats a week, going from zero to that, and you sustain that for three months, you'll increase your muscle mass, you'll be stronger, your blood sugar control will be better. It's good for your brain health. It's good for your joints. It will literally be life changing," she says.
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If you're not someone who watches the 1.30 hour This Morning show every day, with the 11 advertisement breaks to use as a pre-set workout timer, there are other ways to fit your squats in.
For example, Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham recently revealed she does four minutes of squats every day just by doing the exercise when she's brushing her teeth.
You could do 10 squats every time you get up from your desk at work or go to the kitchen to make a cup of tea or bathroom at home. You could squat while the kettle boils in the morning.
How to do a squat
- Stand shoulder-width apart, hands on your hips or resting by your sides.
- Bend your knees and sit back, as if you're sitting on a chair behind you.
- Once you reach the bottom of the movement, push through your feet to return to standing.
- If you're new to squats, it can be helpful to actually put a chair behind you to touch down on or try a sit-to-stand exercise to build lower-body strength first.
Squats are one of the best quadricep and glute exercises, but they work muscles down the whole of the body, including the core, lower back, hamstrings, and calves.
It's important to sit back in the movement, rather than bend down through the knees, as this can cause some discomfort.
Dr Zoe says it's all about these small daily habits when you're trying to improve your health. If you're someone who's never been interested in exercise, don't set yourself the challenge of a walking workout every day. A brisk 10-minute walk is a good place to start.
"Small things add up as well," she says. "It can just be choosing the harder option. If you work in a building with steps or a lift, making that commitment to always take the steps. Park that bit further away, carry heavy shopping bags. If you go for a walk, take the hilly option or walk at a faster pace."
