Do you sit a lot?
Do you feel your feet and legs stiff and numb after prolonged time at the computer?
Can you sit comfortably on the floor?
Is it easy to bend forward to put on your shoes on?
Do you think your sitting is affecting your back?
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
It may come as a shock to hear that sitting requires strength. Or you may think, actually now that you mention it, I have felt that. I know in my body that it is hard to sit for a long time. No child can sit so much, we just train ourselves to do it. We get used to it. And because we constantly sit, we stop noticing until some of the things we used to do with ease are not available to us anymore. Then we feel old and think it’s inevitable. But it is not!
So let’s first look at the effects of prolonged sitting. And this is not an exhaustive list:
- Poor blood circulation, especially in the legs, which can lead to swollen legs and varicose veins.
- Weak gluteus muscles and you need these for walking to say the least.
- Tight hips which can affect your pelvis and spine, your balance and your ability to do functional movements like squatting, sitting on the floor, etc.
- Short hamstrings that can pull your pelvis out of alignment and stop you from comfortably bending down.
- Weak core muscles which are essential for pretty much everything.
- Organ compression – the cause of that is the slumped posture that is so typical for prolonged sitting.
And if these are not enough there are many studies that show that prolonged sitting leads to a higher risk of death from all causes. You can look here, here, here for just a few scientific articles on that. On the list of conditions associated with sitting are obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
And what do the scientist say is the antidote? Yes, you guessed it, movement.
I invite you to join me for a 6-week yoga course for people who sit a lot. On this course you will learn techniques to:
- wake up the feet, free the ankles and find a better base of support
- strengthen the deep core muscles
- release any accumulated tension in pelvis and hips
- align the pelvis so that the spine is properly supported
- stretch the legs
- rebalance the muscles of the lower body
- enhance your breathing
If that sounds timely and needed and you want to book or if you have any questions, do get in touch.
You can learn about 1-2-1 yoga classes here.
Get in touch to book
See you on the mat!
Related articles:
Do you think you sit a lot in your day?
Too much sitting – the best posture is the next posture
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
