Chances are, you are sitting right now while you are reading this.
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Though it’s a posture most of us assume for a good part of the day, sitting is one of the least health promoting postures we can take.
This infographic goes into exactly why sitting is so hard on our bodies, and I’ve added a few suggestions and alternatives below:
Infographic from ManRevived ManRevived.com
More tips!
Instead of just shrugging it off and sitting back down, a few helpful tips:
1. Once an hour, get up and go for a walk.
Get the blood flowing, get a glass of water and get your body into a more efficient position.
2. Consider a standing workstation.
If your office is replacing furniture, it might be a good time to suggest a more ergonomic alternative. If you work from home, you can create your own standing work station or keep it simple and use a counter-top or similar.
3. Stay upright during your downtime.
If sitting during your work hours or long drives are non-negotiable, try to choose activities where you aren’t seated for your relaxation time. Consider using TV watching time as a time to incorporate small fitness challenges, like weighted squats during the commercials, or push-ups at the end of each half-hour show.
4. If you must sit, consider using a balance ball or yoga ball at least some of the time.
Using a ball to sit on forces you to stabilize your core muscles to stay balanced. It’s still not the most efficient posture for your organs or circulation, but definitely better than slumping into a chair.
5. Pay attention to your posture.
Sitting, especially while working on a computer or tablet, also promotes a rounded, head-forward posture. This leads to stiff neck and shoulders as well as headaches. Reminding yourself to sit up and keep your head upright can do a lot to improve your mood as well as prevent pain and tightness in these areas. Something as simple as adjusting the location of your computer or sitting at the edge of your seat can go a long way toward preventing problems.
Lead photo credit: Flickr / FelixHuth
Hi Kate
A question to you.
At home I do most of my reading laying on my back. Do you know if this hurts the body less than sitting ?
Maintaining good posture-neutral spine-Is absolutley the foundation of good movement health.Having good posture,evening dynamic movements,prevents injuries.The dowagers hump is one response from the the body to severe forwardhead and rounded shoulders.One must develop mobility,flexibility,core and functional strength to have good posture.Sitting in what is known as the triple flexed position-flexed at the ankles,knees and hips, causes shortening of the hip flexors(especially the posas) weakens spinal stabilizers,leading to lbp,a weakened core and piriformis problems.Sitting a lot, without excercising the right way, causes many movement problems.For istance,if one sits a lot crunches are illadvised because they will further shorten hip flexors exascerbating… Read more »
interesting, never knew 135 degrees was the ideal sitting position in a chair. good post, thanks.
i will leave a longish comment on your foot article, hopefully, by the weekend
My chiropractor once told me that sitting puts 3 times as much pressure on your back as standing. Sitting is actually more stressful on your body, not more relaxing on your body.
In any event, please don’t lean all the way back in your coach seat on the airline. I’m the tall guy behind you who doesn’t want your ratty toupee hanging over my tiny little soft drink cup. If I can sit upright for a few hours, you can, too.
Well as I just did 5 hours of gardening, as soon as I sat down the muscles stopped hurting. I’d say sitting is very relaxing and takes pressure off the back when you’re sitting back slightly or even reclining.
archy, im always curious about the reasons people comment on old threads.
how did you find this article, were you searching for it to comment on?
because it’s just been reposted on the GMP Facebook page, so people will be reading it for the first time
ah ok, thanks
i had often wondered, why people just start suddenly commenting on old articles