We’ve all heard by now “sitting is the new smoking”, aside from a heavy dose of hyperbole – it’s true! Long bouts of sitting have been shown to increase risk of poor health outcomes regardless of diet and physical activity. There are many avenues to explain these findings, decreased metabolism, poor circulation and decreased bone and muscle mass. One side effect that is not talked about (and relevant to me as an Osteopath) is that it can change your geometry!
How?
It’s because your body is an amazing adaptable organism. We all know and understand this. When we train for a half-marathon or start lifting weights, our body up-builds to meet the demands. Similarly if we lie in a hospital bed for a week, our bones and muscle mass decrease.
What does this have to do with sitting?
Your body, over time, takes the shape of the movements and habits you adopt most often. And for some of us, more and more of our ‘activities’ are on the computer! If you’re like most Westerners, you are a ‘world class’ sitter! It is your most practiced skill. As such your body adapts to become better at sitting. Stiff rounded upper back, forward head, rounded shoulders are among some of the adaptations that are beneficial to the avid sitter.
What to do about it?
Mobilize! You need to give your body a reason not to make those adaptations. Tell your body “Hey, don’t round my back and shoulders, I need those to open up!” However, your body only speaks the language of action, not words. The only way it’s going to get the message is if you physically take your upper back and shoulders and open them regularly. That way your body is forced to conclude that those joints need to be maintained to full range.
Putting it into action!
We’re going to discuss three go-to maneuvers to undo the effects of hours in front of a screen.
- Chest falls
Bring elbows close together so that your head rests between your upper arms. Walk your knees back and allow your chest to fall. Breathe deeply, allowing your chest to come closer to the ground with each exhale.
- Dislocates
Hold the dowel above your head with elbows straight and shoulder down and away from your ears. Slowly roll the dowel behind you. Your hands should be as close together as possible without having to bend your elbows or rise your shoulders.
- Table top
Sitting with hands pointing towards your feet, squeeze your shoulder blades together and puff your chest out. Without dropping your chest or allowing your shoulders to come forward, raise your hips as far as you can without compromising chest and shoulders.
How long? How Often?
Hold each stretch for a total of 30 seconds. This can be done all at once or broken into 2 sets of 15 seconds. You can perform these just before or during a long day of desk work or at a regular time in the day as a routine. Try to accumulate 3-6 minutes of each stretch over the week.
For a more nuanced look at your body and to see if these exercises are right for you – book an appointment with our team!
All great moves Aaron!