Can you injure yourself by sitting for long?
The better your basic health and fitness, the more adaptable your body will be to the abuse of prolonged sitting. If your work requires prolonged sitting, you have as much need to stay in shape as an athlete.
Mary Bond, The new rules of posture
Have you thought that you need training to be able to sit for long periods of time without serious consequences for your body?
Our bodies are made to move. We have evolved for long distance walking and running. People didn’t have chairs or sofas for milennia and either sat on the ground or squatted. They were raising their arms to reach the best fruit. They were using their shoulders and backs to carry children and possessions, to climb.
Nowadays we can spend hours and even days not doing any of those movements. And our bodies become sticky, our joints rusty and our muscles weak.
So here is what you can add to your day if you are going to spend it on a chair:
- Go for a walk. Leave the car and walk to the shops. Find a hill nearby and climb it in a brisk pace.
- Go up and down the stairs several times.
- Pace the room if you are on the phone. Or even better, take it outside if possible.
- Move your arms and shoulders. Lift and stretch them, do circles. Make it pleasurable.
- Hang in the doorway. Stand in the middle and grab the sides with your hands. Let your weigh stretch the front of your shoulders.
- Do some squats.
- Turn on your favourite music and dance.
You don’t have to do everything at one go. Do it often, enjoy it and feel your body come to life.
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