The Flexibility Coach, LLC

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The Dangers of.....Sitting (Really!):  Plus 3 Key Remedies*

Copyright © 2008 by Evamarie Pilipuf and The Flexibility Coach, LLC

It seems hard to believe that something as simple and passive as sitting can put your body at risk. But indeed, just as water is an amazing transformational force on a landscape – even mountains – over time, so too can the long-term effects of sitting include major changes in your muscles and joints. Unfortunately, unlike the stunning canyons and other structures of our water-sculpted natural wonders, the changes caused by sitting aren’t so wonderful. In fact, they can be a leading cause in debilitation, and the hidden reason behind having to give up your favorite sport.  After all, even if you're extremely active and train for 2-3 hours a day, think of how many hours you still spend sitting.  For most of us, that latter number far exceeds the former, which explains why it exerts such a positive influence on our mobility!

Fortunately, there are some easy yet effective remedies you can use to negate this effect (and without a huge added time investment, amazingly). But it helps to first understand why they are needed:

Sitting puts the body in a state of flexion. Your legs are flexed forward from the hip joint, and your trunk is flexed at the waist. This forces your back, namely the erector spinae muscles, into a constant state of overstretching, causing weakness, fatigue and even soreness in your low back. Adding to the problem is that your legs’ position also shortens your hip flexors, namely the iliopsoas muscle, which now means the front of your leg and hip is tight and inflexible. This in turn causes two major problems: it restricts your ability to fully extend your leg and hip behind you, which forces you to alter the position of your pelvis when you walk; and it pulls on your lumbar spine, since the iliopsoas actually attaches there. All of it translates to more stress on an already-stressed low back. Finally, sitting with your knees bent keeps your hamstrings shortened, which – you guessed it – contributes heavily to tight hamstrings. And tight hamstrings, like a tight hip flexor, put pressure on the low back, due in part to once again needing to alter your pelvis when you go through certain daily movements.

All of that, and I haven’t even touched on the compression of the spine caused by poor posture (think “crunched down”) when we sit!

Now that you have an idea of the primary problems caused by sitting, here are the three remedies to offset them:

1. Exercise and extend your low back with gentle, but effective, yoga postures and similar stretches: The most classic example of these is the Opposite Arm/Leg Reach, performed either on your stomach or on hands and knees. This can – and ideally should – be done every day, in light but deliberate repetitions.
2. Stretch your hip flexors: An example of this is the Kneeling Crescent Pose, a lunge in which your back knee is on the floor, and your upper body is upright.  If you're doing it right, you should feel a stretch in the top thigh of your back leg.  Hold for at least 30 seconds, trying to relax the muscle.  Ideally, repeat the stretch after performing both sides.
3. Stretch your hamstrings: So many options! If nothing else, the Supine Hamstring Stretch will help get the process going, but be aware, most people stop short of actually stretching their hamstrings in many such stretches, due to poor technique.  Ideally, your leg needs to be extended fully, with a neutral (not rounded) low back.  Experiment with various stretches to find the one that works for your body at this time.  Helpful hint:  Flexing your foot will add to the stretch, due to the lengthening effect on the calf muscle, which further stretches the hamstrings!

• Bonus Stretches: Since sitting also exacerbates our body’s exposure to repetitive stress – in this case, of constantly being oriented around forward/backward positions, a well-performed twist and also some form of side stretch can round out your “antidote for chronic sitting”!

Flexibility Coach Members:  Need more guidance than the descriptions above?  Don't forget to log on and access yoga videos to guide you through these stretches and many more.  Some excellent 5-minute yoga videos for this include Yoga Videos #3, 7, 13, 20, 21, 30, and 35.

*As always, make sure you check with your doctor before engaging in any exercise or stretch.

Evamarie Pilipuf is a runner and champion fitness competitor, former professional dancer, yoga instructor and stretching specialist based in southern California, where she coaches athletes on flexibility training and injury prevention.  Her website, www.TheFlexibilityCoach.com, allows members from all over the world to benefit from her expertise through online video and audio instruction.

Take my yoga with you to your office!   Let me lead you, via audio and video, through the very same stretches and exercises I give to my executive clients.          Sign up today              Already signed up?  Click here to access Video #29:  A 5-minute yoga video to release a tight low back right from a chair!