Environment, Equipment, Description, and Purpose
The environment for this activity may be various: office, home, park, gym, hall, etc., but it has to be calming. Free space of a few square meters is required for convenience. No special equipment is required, only a person’s desire and readiness. Squats are one of the most widespread physical activities and may be a cliché for someone. However, there is a developed way to perform them, which will lead to improving mental health and concentration, and alleviating any kind of brain fog (Gordan, 2019). The purpose of such activity is to reactivate the brain, make it rest for several minutes, increase concentration, and eliminate any mental distractors. The systematic performance of the squat strengthens muscles, joints, and knee tendons, and noticeably improves posture and coordination of movements. In spite of the fact that the classic squat and its varieties belong to strength exercises, the load has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system (Gordan, 2019).
Instructions
Firstly, a person has to put their feet at shoulder width, pointing out straight. The posture has to be composed but straight, and the shoulders have to be spread. Then, standing up straight, a person needs to grab their left earlobe with the right hand’s fingers (Gordan, 2019). Afterward, they need to hold the right earlobe with the left hand’s fingers. Touching the earlobes, a person must squat down slowly and carefully while inhaling, and while exhaling, stand up. The activity needs to be repeated as many times as an individual can.
Leadership in Performing the Activity
The leader has to provide participants with a calming and trustful atmosphere and a safe environment for them not to get harmed.
Furthermore, it is essential to not only explain the instructions verbally but also to demonstrate how to perform the activity physically as well to avoid confusion. While leading the activity, the leader must be open to helping individuals, answering their questions, and correcting if something was misunderstood. The squats must be performed by the facilitator and the whole group simultaneously and slowly. The leader should divide the groups of 5 people and observe the exercise technique 5 times for 5 activities. For example, verify whether participants sharply straighten their legs and return to 180 degrees in a jump (Becker, 2021).This will help every individual feel comfortable and make performing the task easier.
Proximity and Safety
Physically, the facilitator, while performing the squats, has to stay in one area without interfering with the participants’ personal space. Mental proximity must be moderate, and the rapport must be trustful but without extreme closure. For safety, the environment must consist of enough free space, at least several spare square meters for each individual. The squats must be performed slowly, considering every person’s physical state and capacity. No one has to be forced, the amount of squats is up to every individual.
Adaptations
Firstly, it is essential to show non-verbally to an individual what the leader suggests them to do. Some people with such a type of disorder may not understand verbal communication, which is why the patient’s body must be guided (Special Strong, 2019). The explanation and showing of the instructions have to be slow; the facilitator must praise the individual.
Squats are considered to be beneficial for people with dementia, the safest adaptation for such type of patients is to perform the exercise from a chair to make the activity convenient (Xudong, 2019). The patient will have to repeat stand-ups from a chair. Furthermore, rising on toes is a good idea after every stand-up.
For people with arthritis, wall squats are a good choice, but they must be performed carefully. If a person is able to endure the discomfort in their knees while performing the exercise, they must try it (Health Line, 2020). An individual has to stand with their back against a wall with feet apart at shoulder width. While exhaling, they have to sit down and keep their abdominal muscles tight. While inhaling, a participant will stand up. The activity has to be performed slowly, feeling any kind of solid discomfort, they must cease exercising.
References
Becker, B. (2021). The 8 most common leadership styles & how to find your own. HubSpot. Web.
Gordan, A. (2019). 9 Exercises to increase your brain power. AFPA. Web.
Health Line. (2020). Knee osteoarthritis: be cautious during these 5 exercises. Web.
Special Strong. (2019). Autism exercise tip: teaching the squat. Web.
Xudong, L, et al. (2019). Effectiveness of exercise programs on patients with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Biomed Res Int. Web.