For bodies evolved to do so much – we spend a lot of our time doing so little. The vast majority of our day is spent in a very limited number of positions. This is never more true than in our sedentary occupations. In fact – the word ‘sedentary’ comes from the Latin word ‘Sedentarius’, meaning ‘one that sits’. So what I would like to do, is explore how to undo all this sitting that cripples our ‘evolved for movement’ bodies.
The premise really is quite simple. We must literally undo the bad postures we find ourselves in every day. Whatever these unhealthy positions are, we just do the opposite to undo them!
Ok – so first a crash course in posture. Let’s keep it simple. Imagine a plumb line hanging straight down from the top of the head. Viewed from the side, this line should run through the ear, shoulder, elbow, hip, wrist, knee and ankle. If it’s not, your posture isn’t ideal.
So how does the position we sit in toiling away at the computer differ from the ideal ‘plumb line’ model? From the top down…
- The ears are forward of the line, with the chin pushed forward.
- The shoulders are also forward of the line, caused by rounding of the thoracic spine (upper back).
- The pelvis is rolled backwards (a posterior pelvic tilt for my fellow anatomy junkies).
- The hips are closed (there’s an angle at your hips, unlike the ‘open’ hip angle you would get when standing).
- The knees are bent (tightening the muscles down the back of your legs – the ‘posterior chain’).
The more time you spend in this position, the more it becomes your norm. It’s a frontal fixation – everything gets pulled forward.
How do we undo this? You do the opposite! This is your ‘Undo a Bad Day at Work’ routine. Click on each exercise for a description of how to complete it.
- To keep the neck healthy, do Levator Scapula PNF.
- To open up those chronically closed hips, Hip Flexor PNF.
- To straighten out those bent legs do a Hamstrings PNF.
- To keep your shoulders back and your chest open, do Internal Rotator PNF, Pec PNF and Thoracic Extension Release.
Oh, and if you wear high heels, Gastrocnemius PNF.
Is there a better way? Yes! Stop sitting in chairs. Quit work and move back to into the trees! Not an option? Ok – you can start by fixing your ergonomics. Make the best of a bad situation.
