Challenges
Try This Today
- Follow Denise Austin's Mini Squats demonstration in the video above to learn the proper form.
- Holding a chair, place legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Bend both knees. Squat about halfway down, and then stand up. Do 20 squats on each leg.
- During the squat, focus your weight on your heels.
- Keep your back straight.
- Adapt the exercise to suit your level of fitness. For example, vary the width of your legs and how much you squat. You can also do fewer repetitions at first, and build to 20.
- To build your strength and toning routine, add Mini Push-Ups.
Why
Mini Squats help you strengthen and tone your lower body, including your glutes, thighs and calves. Squats are a form of strength training, which, when done consistently over time may improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, weight, body composition, sleep and mood — as well as reduce the deterioration of white matter in the brain, according to a review from the American Heart Association reported in Circulation in 2023.
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