What's The One Most Useful Exercise for Everyday Strength and Health?
Unlock everyday strength and health with the simplest move you can do anywhere.
In the quest for a healthy, free, and happy life, keeping things simple often leads to the best results. While fancy gym equipment and complicated workouts have their place, there’s one exercise that stands out as the ultimate move for everyday strength and long-term health:
The squat
Sounds simple, right? The squat is so much more than just bending your knees. It’s a powerful, full-body exercise that supports your daily activities (we sit down and stand up a lot during one day), keeps you strong, and helps you move easily for years to come.
If you want one go-to move to build strength, improve balance, and boost your health, the squat is your best friend.
Why Squats Matter More Than You Think
The squat isn’t just about working your legs. It’s what fitness pros call a “functional exercise,” meaning it mimics the natural movements you perform every day. Think about sitting down on a chair, picking up groceries, bending to tie your shoes, or climbing stairs. All those actions require the same muscles and movement patterns that a squat trains.
Here’s the real magic:
Squats engage a bunch of big muscles at once—the quadriceps (front of your thighs), hamstrings (back of your thighs), glutes (your butt), calves, and your core. This makes it a powerful workout wrapped in a simple move. When these muscles are strong and coordinated, everyday tasks become easier and safer—especially at a higher age.
The Everyday Benefits of Squatting
The squat is exceptionally useful for everyday life because it is a functional movement that closely mimics common daily activities such as sitting down, standing up, bending, and lifting objects. Here is a list of benefits of regular squatting:
Stronger Legs and Core: Squats strengthen the muscles that carry your weight and keep you stable. This helps you walk, stand, and move with less effort and less risk of injury.
Better Balance and Posture: Holding a proper squat also trains your balance and helps maintain good posture, which reduces back pain and lowers the chance of falls as you age.
More Flexible Joints: Unlike sitting for hours and stiffening up, squats make your hips, knees, and ankles move through their full range, keeping them flexible and healthy.
Stronger Bones: Squats are weight-bearing, which means they help keep your bones dense and strong, protecting you from osteoporosis and fractures.
Burn More Calories: Because squats work several large muscles, they raise your metabolism and burn calories, so you get a bit of cardio along with strength training.
In essence, squats train muscles and movement patterns that mirror essential daily activities, helping maintain independence, prevent injury, and support overall functional health throughout life.
How This Fits The Rich Minimalist Lifestyle
At The Rich Minimalist, we prioritize a healthy, free, and happy life by embracing minimalism—not just in stuff, but in time and energy. Squats fit perfectly with this philosophy:
No expensive gear needed: You just need your own body and a little space. No gym membership required. If you need more weight just grab whatever heavy you have available: a book, water container, a rock…
Time-efficient: You can do squats anywhere—morning, evening, or even breaks—no excuses.
Practical for real life: Unlike complicated routines, squats directly improve the strength and mobility you use every day.
Builds lasting independence: Staying strong and mobile means fewer injuries and less dependency as you age, keeping your freedom intact.
How to Do a Perfect Squat (Simple Steps)
You don’t need to complicate it. Here’s a straightforward way to get started with squats that anyone can do:
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointing out.
Keep your chest up and core tight to protect your back.
Slowly bend your knees and hips to lower your body, as if sitting into a chair. Keep your weight mostly on your heels.
Go as low as feels comfortable—aim for your thighs to be at least parallel to the floor or lower if you can.
Keep your knees inline with your toes, not letting them collapse inward.
Push through your heels to stand back up straight.
Start with 3 set of 15 squats and gradually increase set and reps as you feel stronger—or add weight.
Mixing It Up for Extra Strength
While squats are king, it’s great to round out your daily routine with a few other simple moves that complement them and target other muscles:
Pushups: Strengthen your chest, shoulders, arms, and core.
Planks: Build rock-solid core strength and improve posture.
Lunges: Boost balance and leg strength on each side independently.
These exercises combined with regular squats form a flexible, minimal routine that covers all the basics of everyday functional strength, right at home with no equipment.
Why Doing Squats Everyday Is Worth It
Doing squats daily keeps your muscles activated and consistently strong without needing hours in the gym. It’s all about sustainable habits that fit your lifestyle and make you stronger in the simplest, most effective way.
Even 3x15 squats every morning can help:
Prevent muscle loss as you age
Reduce joint stiffness from sitting too long
Make everyday movements safer and more effortless
Boost your energy and confidence to embrace an active, minimal life
Final Thoughts
If there’s one exercise to anchor your routine for real-world strength, health, and freedom, it’s the squat. It’s simple, practical, and powerful—just like The Rich Minimalist lifestyle itself.
No fancy gadgets, no complicated movements—just a classic, effective exercise you can do every day to build the strength you need to live well, move freely, and feel great.
Start squatting today, and take one small but powerful step toward a stronger, healthier, richer minimalist life!
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Thank you for reading The Rich Minimalist. Please also take a look at the Welcome to The Rich Minimalist article, where I describe my mini manifesto and how it all fits into the bigger picture.
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