Thursday, July 1, 2010

Sitting All Day?


We sit entirely too much during our days.  Work, emails, reading hunched over a book or the newspaper, slouching in the recliner or on the couch at the end of the day.  This all has a major impact on the health of our backs.  How we sit effects the alignment of our spine and the strength of our core muscles that help keep our backs safe from injury.
So how should you be sitting?
1)      Take frequent breaks – approximately every 15 – 20 minutes.  Take a short walk, do a couple stretches, a handful of squats; anything that helps loosen up the back and facilitates the back getting into proper alignment.

2)      Make sure that your chair is ergonomic and properly “fitted” for you.  This means that your hips, knees and ankles should all be at about a 90 degree angle with your feet flat on the floor to keep your spine in proper alignment. 


3)      While you are seated, stay to the front edge of your chair so that you are sitting up with a tall, straight spine. Keep the belly button pulled back towards the spine to keep the abdominal muscles engaged.

4)      Keep the chest up and the shoulder down and back.

Doing the above listed items will help build core strength and decrease back pain, which in turn, will decrease feelings of fatigue.