Is Sitting Really The New Smoking?
Evidence suggests that the average American spends more than eight hours each day sitting.
Medical research shows that prolonged sitting is detrimental to cardiovascular health independent of regular physical activity. In Telluride many of us have desk jobs and assume that our one hour hike, bike or run will get us out of trouble but this is not necessarily the case. Prolonged sitting has also been shown to increase the risks of type 2 diabetes, obesity and depression.
My first recommendation is that if you have to sit for long periods, sit correctly and efficiently. This will lessen fatigue and you will have less pain and aching joints.
Did you ever think that the pain in your back, neck or anywhere else in your body could be related to the position or POSTURE that you are in?
So what exactly is the correct posture to avoid pain? Our mothers always told us to “sit up straight!” Maybe they were right after all! They definitely had the right idea but lets pay attention to more of the details.
When we improve our posture we are trying to get into our body’s most efficient position, where the appropriate relationship between each joint segment allows for minimal strain and stress on our system during static or dynamic activities.
Try this: Sit on your chair so that you are not leaning into the back of the chair and your pelvis (your base of support) is on the chair. Both feet should be flat on the ground. Notice in this position, that the soft tissues in your thighs are not as compressed. This allows for better circulation in your legs.
The height of the chair is important to be able to get into an efficient alignment. Your hips should be higher than your knees so that the weight of your body also goes into your legs and feet.
Tilt your pelvis back and forth and find a place where your back feels comfortable. This will bring the pelvis into a vertical position and the low back into a neutral position. Feel where you are sitting on your pelvis. Remember that the pelvis is a ring of bones and so it is important to be sitting in the middle of the ring which is known as your pelvic floor. The “sit bones” are in the back of the ring and are boney rockers which are not very stable or relaxing to sit on. Try to hinge forward so that you are sitting just in front of these bones and onto the middle of the pelvic floor.
Take a big breath in and as you exhale allow your rib cage to settle right on top of your pelvis. Sticking out the chest in military style creates compression in the low back and is not the answer to a pain free posture which is the part that our mothers got wrong!! Your head and neck will now be able to rest more easily over your trunk and lessen the need to stick the neck forwards. Be sure that the computer screen is close enough and that your eyes are level with the top one third of the screen.
Feel that you can relax in this position without slumping because you have created a much more stable and efficient alignment. This position also creates a more automatic contraction of the core. You will find that in your new more efficient position you can move in your chair more easily, your digestive system can work more efficiently, you can breathe more easily and you will have more energy throughout your day.
Making these postural changes become automatic is of course the challenge. We have to want to make changes and we have to want to own these new strategies. There is always a period of learning for our nervous system which takes conscious thought and repetition until the new strategies become automatic. Learning more efficient strategies for living our lives can be a big part of improving our physical well being and maximizing our potential for optimal function in life.
Now that you are sitting more efficiently, my next recommendation would be to get up regularly and MOVE! Walk, stretch and move your body and aim to do this for at least 20 minutes every hour of your sitting day.
Is a standing desk the answer? Standing certainly increases metabolism, muscle activity and blood flow, but if you are standing all day you still need to pay attention to your postural alignment and you still need to move your body more.
So, is sitting really the new smoking? Well, possibly, but we can do something about this very easily. So lets get moving through the day, sit correctly and improve our overall health.
For further information go to www.alisonpalmerpt.com or to schedule anappointment please contact Alison Palmer at Alison Palmer Physical Therapy and Wellness Center 728 1135. We are located in the Cimarron Lodge at the bottom of lift 7. Wellness is the full integration of mind, body and spirit. We look forward to helping you towards a healthier life.