Untie your body from the chair: Sitting for too long will lead to bad posture
Publish Time: 2024-06-26
According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, take back control of our bodies. Use our bodies for their "designed purpose" and free them from the "punishment" of being "tied" to a chair for most of the day, so that they can regain all their strength and functions. Julien Lepretre is an osteopath and personal trainer whose philosophy is based on an indisputable motto: use it or lose it."If we observe children at play, we notice their agility and mobility when they run, jump or sit down," said Lepretre. "However, as they age, modern life makes them sedentary. Children spend more and more time sitting in school. When they return home, they eat snacks, do homework, watch TV or play video games... In the best case, they can exercise two or three hours a week. But for the vast majority of people, physical activity and daily exercise are gradually decreasing until they are almost non-existent. We often hear people in their thirties and forties say, 'I was very active and actively participated in sports when I was young, but now I don't have time.'"He continued: "Our bodies are very good at saving energy: if we don't use muscles or joints, the body will gradually reduce the energy supply, resulting in a decrease in strength, mass and mobility."The report said that the way we move is mechanical, inefficient and harmful. "In our desire to be efficient at work, in our personal lives or in sports, we tend to think more is better," Lepretre says. "Our brains are blinded by short-term rewards. In fact, we have a hard time making decisions that focus on long-term rewards. Ultimately, we tend to go for quantity and speed over quality. And by trying to do too much too fast, we can cause ourselves to get hurt. So we need to get back to prioritizing quality over quantity."Why do we get so obsessed with being skinny, showing off tight abs or a nice butt, that we forget about things like mobility or posture that are essential to our lives? "Because the Western view of sport is focused on performance and competition, well-being and personal growth have only recently been considered," Lepretre points out. "The link between posture and pain is also a recent concept. A new wave of more humanistic practices such as yoga, Feldenkrais and osteopathy has provided us with a different perspective."
"Our species, Homo sapiens, learned to walk and run long distances, to throw rocks, to hunt and to climb trees. However, our current sedentary lifestyle means we no longer run, we barely walk and we don't use our shoulders. Worse, we sit hunched over all day. If you don't use a part of your body, it degenerates. If we don't use our back muscles, neck muscles or rotator cuff muscles, they become weak and can't do their job of straightening the spine. As a result, our posture changes, we develop slumped shoulders, double chins or hunched backs and we get injured," Lepretre adds.However, sitting in a chair for long periods of time, especially when the posture is not correct, can cause a number of adverse effects on the body, including poor posture.
Muscle tension and fatigue: Sitting in the same position for long periods of time, especially when the back and neck are not properly supported, can cause muscle tension and fatigue in these areas. This tension can not only cause discomfort, but can also lead to a gradual change in posture.
Spinal pressure: Improper sitting posture, such as hunching over, puts additional pressure on the spine. This pressure can cause changes in the curvature of the spine, further affecting overall posture.
Weakened core muscles: The core muscles, which include those around the abdomen, back, and pelvis, play a key role in maintaining correct posture. However, sitting for long periods of time can cause these muscles to be underused and gradually weaken. When the core muscles weaken, it is more difficult for the body to maintain correct posture.
Blood circulation problems: Sitting for long periods of time can also affect blood circulation, leading to problems such as varicose veins in the lower limbs. Although these problems do not directly affect posture, they may cause other adverse effects on the body in the long run.
To improve this situation, we can take the following measures:
Adjust your sitting posture: Make sure the chair provides adequate back and neck support. Sit upright with your back slightly tilted back and your feet flat on the ground or on footrests. Avoid hunching or twisting your body for long periods of time.
Take regular breaks: Stand up and walk around every once in a while to move your body parts. This helps relieve muscle tension and fatigue.
Exercise: Doing core muscle exercises, such as planks, sit-ups, and push-ups, can increase the strength and endurance of these muscles, which can help maintain correct posture.
Use assistive tools: You can adjust your sitting or standing posture as needed, such as standing desks or height-adjustable chairs, to reduce the time you spend in the same posture for a long time.
In short, sitting in a chair for a long time can indeed lead to incorrect posture. By adjusting your sitting posture, taking regular breaks, strengthening your exercises, and using assistive tools, we can effectively improve this situation and maintain good physical health.
Contrary to what we often think, posture is not the cause of our problems, but a consequence of our lifestyle. Therefore, despite our efforts to sit or walk straighter, we cannot alleviate our discomfort. "A sedentary lifestyle is the main culprit," Lepretre emphasizes. "If we start to exercise again and strengthen our back, our posture will automatically change and the body will be able to tolerate more exercise without pain."
