Sitting is Deathly!

This past month I have been driving a ridiculous amount of miles helping my parents move into a new house. This equates to a whole lot of sitting with very minimal range of motion in my hips for a long duration of time. After each drop off or pick up, I would spend ten to fifteen minutes stretching my legs and trying to get some mobility out of my hips before another hour of tightness could occur. This combined with heavy lifting of furniture and boxes lead to my body screaming at me each night. Imagine not warming up or doing any soft tissue work and then trying to squat 80% of your 1RM over and over again. (I really hope none of you are doing this). Well after a final drive today sitting in the 101S traffic, I have to let the world know that sitting will be the death of us.

Technology has rapidly developed in the past few decades and it has made many things "easier" for people. And although I love playing Angry Birds and being able to check ESPN every second, we have been forced into a chair or desk in order to operate this technology. And if that isn't the case, then you end up at home on your couch back on your butt.  

In most jobs where you are required to work at a desk, people sit in a chair at a 90 degree angle (or less) and reinforce bad movement (or lack of). This angle of sitting is followed by constant flexion of the hips, a kyphotic spinal position and weakened scapular stabilizers. All of which may be the reason for your "low back pain" or "bad posture." To top it off we come home from these jobs, in a car where we are sitting, eat dinner at a table where we are sitting and make a jump right for the couch where we are sitting. It is a brutal cycle that will increase pain or discomfort and sooner or later get you off your butt to a gym or therapy office. So lets figure out some solutions to getting off your butt and opening up those hips earlier rather than later.

First, how about simply moving around? Maybe taking a walk, going for a hike, riding your bike, whatever you enjoy that gets you moving around. You will burn more calories than you do sitting and will increase your mobility from moving.

Or think about this. A friend of mine from Sparta Performance Science, has refused to sit when he is at his desk using his computer! Instead he is in a half kneeling position with a pad under his knee opening up his hips while he is working! Now he is able to continually keep his hips open and decrease his sitting time. What a thought? Getting a light stretch while you do your desk work.

I understand after a long day of work sitting and relaxing, but move around and experience working muscle actually at work! We were created to move and explore the Earth by using our bodies. You are taking advantage of the gift of movement that not everyone has access to. So instead of looking at pictures of the places you want to be, experience it first hand and take yourself there.