"Dynamic sitting": the new trend for better posture!
We all know that the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are not simply the temporary feeling of stiffness or relaxation in certain parts of our body, but much deeper!
The therapist identifies a duality in this issue, related to the modern lifestyle. On the one hand, there is how we sit and how much we sit, which creates pressure on the body, leading to structural and functional changes and can develop into discomfort or even illnesses. On the other hand, there is the general lack of movement as a way of life. Even young children now have replaced play and movement with their heads bent over a digital screen, opening the way for a host of problems and diseases.
According to Marinescu, we have forgotten that:
[quote]Since the time of our ancestors, our bodies are meant to be in motion and not to remain static. [/quote]
The most common symptom for those who sit for many hours is a hunched back, thus having, in addition to skeletal damage, the basic problem of incorrect breathing. The hunch, however small, prevents the diaphragm in the abdominal area from connecting with the lower part of the pelvis, in order to facilitate full and deep breathing, which supplies blood to the whole body, ensuring the proper functioning of the organs. When we slouch, we put the entire weight of our shoulders and ribs on our abdomen, blocking proper diaphragm breathing. Instead, we breathe in a shallow, superficial way also known as "thoracic breathing."
All this pressure from gravity and hunching hinders smooth blood circulation and does not allow proper oxygenation of our cells, thus causing the accumulation of toxins within us.
It is no coincidence, then, that a sedentary lifestyle without moderation has been linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. Over time, spending most of your life hunched over your office chair, leaning forward in front of your computer screen, also affects your body shape, weakening tissues in various parts of it. According to Marinescu:
[quote]For every 3 centimeters we lean our head forward, the pressure added to our neck and spine is approximately 4.5 kilograms!. [/quote]
An adult's head weighs approximately 4.5 to 5.5 kilograms and should be in line with the neck and spine. When we lean forward, we quadruple the weight and pressure, we don't allow proper weight distribution, weakening ligaments and preventing muscles from relaxing.
A collateral habit that burdens our body even more is crossing our legs. Crossing can be done for two to three minutes at times, but when it becomes a habit, it in turn leads to rotation of the pelvis and spine, creating additional musculoskeletal problems, shrinkage or even atrophy of certain muscles.
Bearing all these problems in mind, we can understand why "training" our body to stay strong at the end of the day is a great necessity!
Dynamic sitting means keeping the body in a state of alertness, instead of passively sinking into our chair, and it can just as easily be achieved with a simple office chair.
When we sit continuously for six hours and get up abruptly, we are left with a feeling of heaviness and intense strain on the body, whereas when we break this chain of accumulated immobility with small exercises every hour, the results are invigorating.
This new way of sitting "is simply designed to encourage each of us, who sits for many hours, to move," explains holistic and alternative medicine therapist, Michael Ciardulli, to American teen Vogue.
[caption id="attachment_3434" align="alignleft" width="142"]
Michael Ciardulli[/caption]
Essentially, it's a kind of "sitting in motion," meaning we regularly change our posture and body position while sitting throughout the day. The main goal is to avoid rigid body posture, a common phenomenon when we accumulate tension and stress in our bodies, which has extremely detrimental effects on the muscular system and blood supply to the spine.
According to the therapist, dynamic sitting "should in no way be underestimated for anyone who sits for more than two or three hours a day," as he has repeatedly found that patients who work in offices tend to have greater joint stiffness compared to other workers.
Ciardulli recommends stretching the shoulders and wrists, doing lateral turns left and right, simply using a paperweight from our desk instead of a dumbbell. This strengthens the area of our body called the "quadratus lumborum," which is responsible for lower back pain. And of course, part of this active sitting method is also alternating between clenching and relaxing the gluteal area.
For the leg area, we need to regularly stretch our limbs and rotate our ankles in circles. At the same time, we can shift our pelvis back and forth and then laterally shift our body weight to the right and left sides of our chair, pressing each ear to its corresponding shoulder.
All of these sound very easy and perhaps even negligible, but for Ciardulli, it is very important to dedicate those few minutes every hour to performing these mini sitting exercises, as it has been shown to bring leaps of improvement in joint stiffness and reduction of back pain.
The back strap from Christou1910 is a unique health product that takes the entire weight off our shoulders, stretching the back and restoring the body to its correct, "proud" posture. The strap can very easily become our good daily habit, countering the bending and hunching we impose on our back! With skin-friendly materials and soft pads under the armpits, it provides a natural stretch to the back and significantly helps the spine, neck, and nape to relax. 30 minutes to 1 hour a day is enough to feel the difference and help the torso straighten, rest, and gradually regain its proper posture!
You can very simply get up from your chair one more time and on your next visit to the supermarket (see the list here) find the protective support accessories at the healthcorner stand of the company in the cosmetics section and add them to your cart, relieving your body from an unconscious but very harmful habit!
What exactly happens to our body with a sedentary lifestyle?
Although each person has their own physiology and genetic heritage, the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle seem to function as a general rule for all of us.According to holistic medicine therapist and osteopath Tudor Marinescu, M.D., Ph.D., who spoke to Goop, prolonged sitting and poor posture lead to stagnation and compression with a negative impact on our body both short-term and long-term.
The therapist identifies a duality in this issue, related to the modern lifestyle. On the one hand, there is how we sit and how much we sit, which creates pressure on the body, leading to structural and functional changes and can develop into discomfort or even illnesses. On the other hand, there is the general lack of movement as a way of life. Even young children now have replaced play and movement with their heads bent over a digital screen, opening the way for a host of problems and diseases.
According to Marinescu, we have forgotten that:
[quote]Since the time of our ancestors, our bodies are meant to be in motion and not to remain static. [/quote]
The most common symptom for those who sit for many hours is a hunched back, thus having, in addition to skeletal damage, the basic problem of incorrect breathing. The hunch, however small, prevents the diaphragm in the abdominal area from connecting with the lower part of the pelvis, in order to facilitate full and deep breathing, which supplies blood to the whole body, ensuring the proper functioning of the organs. When we slouch, we put the entire weight of our shoulders and ribs on our abdomen, blocking proper diaphragm breathing. Instead, we breathe in a shallow, superficial way also known as "thoracic breathing."
All this pressure from gravity and hunching hinders smooth blood circulation and does not allow proper oxygenation of our cells, thus causing the accumulation of toxins within us.
It is no coincidence, then, that a sedentary lifestyle without moderation has been linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. Over time, spending most of your life hunched over your office chair, leaning forward in front of your computer screen, also affects your body shape, weakening tissues in various parts of it. According to Marinescu:
[quote]For every 3 centimeters we lean our head forward, the pressure added to our neck and spine is approximately 4.5 kilograms!. [/quote]
An adult's head weighs approximately 4.5 to 5.5 kilograms and should be in line with the neck and spine. When we lean forward, we quadruple the weight and pressure, we don't allow proper weight distribution, weakening ligaments and preventing muscles from relaxing.
A collateral habit that burdens our body even more is crossing our legs. Crossing can be done for two to three minutes at times, but when it becomes a habit, it in turn leads to rotation of the pelvis and spine, creating additional musculoskeletal problems, shrinkage or even atrophy of certain muscles.
Bearing all these problems in mind, we can understand why "training" our body to stay strong at the end of the day is a great necessity!
But what is dynamic or active sitting?
Many might imagine those new flexible Pilates ball chairs, which are a trend for proper sitting abroad, but however much ergonomic chairs help, dynamic sitting is an easy and very convenient form of exercise from our existing, simple chair!
Dynamic sitting means keeping the body in a state of alertness, instead of passively sinking into our chair, and it can just as easily be achieved with a simple office chair.
When we sit continuously for six hours and get up abruptly, we are left with a feeling of heaviness and intense strain on the body, whereas when we break this chain of accumulated immobility with small exercises every hour, the results are invigorating.
This new way of sitting "is simply designed to encourage each of us, who sits for many hours, to move," explains holistic and alternative medicine therapist, Michael Ciardulli, to American teen Vogue.
[caption id="attachment_3434" align="alignleft" width="142"] Michael Ciardulli[/caption]
Essentially, it's a kind of "sitting in motion," meaning we regularly change our posture and body position while sitting throughout the day. The main goal is to avoid rigid body posture, a common phenomenon when we accumulate tension and stress in our bodies, which has extremely detrimental effects on the muscular system and blood supply to the spine.
How to sit actively
According to the therapist, dynamic sitting "should in no way be underestimated for anyone who sits for more than two or three hours a day," as he has repeatedly found that patients who work in offices tend to have greater joint stiffness compared to other workers.
Ciardulli recommends stretching the shoulders and wrists, doing lateral turns left and right, simply using a paperweight from our desk instead of a dumbbell. This strengthens the area of our body called the "quadratus lumborum," which is responsible for lower back pain. And of course, part of this active sitting method is also alternating between clenching and relaxing the gluteal area.
For the leg area, we need to regularly stretch our limbs and rotate our ankles in circles. At the same time, we can shift our pelvis back and forth and then laterally shift our body weight to the right and left sides of our chair, pressing each ear to its corresponding shoulder.
All of these sound very easy and perhaps even negligible, but for Ciardulli, it is very important to dedicate those few minutes every hour to performing these mini sitting exercises, as it has been shown to bring leaps of improvement in joint stiffness and reduction of back pain.
Correct breathing
Ciardulli also highlights the importance of correct breathing in our daily lives. "Every hour of the day, find a few moments to take three or four really deep breaths. Inhale deeply and then exhale slowly as if you're pushing the oxygen out of your lungs. To open the diaphragm and benefit even more, take deep breaths while stretching your shoulders and arms." We must not forget to listen to our body. When we feel excessive tension or fatigue, we should not neglect our need for a pause. For every quarter of an hour we sit, Marinescu recommends finding ten minutes for stretching or a short break from our chair! We need to get up a little, drink a glass of water, and relax our eyes by focusing on a restful spot away from the screen, outside our window. Of course, dynamic sitting and small, short exercises in our chair are not a panacea, but they act as a temporary antidote and need to be supplemented by a more intensive form of exercise after we finish work.Protective support accessories
In addition to these useful exercises, we can also offer you two protective accessories for poor posture and the burden of a sedentary lifestyle.- [big]Back strap for adults and teenagers [/big]
The back strap from Christou1910 is a unique health product that takes the entire weight off our shoulders, stretching the back and restoring the body to its correct, "proud" posture. The strap can very easily become our good daily habit, countering the bending and hunching we impose on our back! With skin-friendly materials and soft pads under the armpits, it provides a natural stretch to the back and significantly helps the spine, neck, and nape to relax. 30 minutes to 1 hour a day is enough to feel the difference and help the torso straighten, rest, and gradually regain its proper posture!
- [big]Waist support belt [/big]
You can very simply get up from your chair one more time and on your next visit to the supermarket (see the list here) find the protective support accessories at the healthcorner stand of the company in the cosmetics section and add them to your cart, relieving your body from an unconscious but very harmful habit!
