A Deep Dive on Sitting

Welcome back to the Total Performance Newsletter! If you are a new subscriber and did not receive last month's edition, let me know and I will send it over right away! This month, we will be continuing with our "Daily Habits" series, and will be taking a look at sitting. Yes, you read that correctly-we are going to take a deep dive into all things sitting; what "proper" sitting posture should look like, how to make prolonged sitting more comfortable, and even how to "staying moving" while sitting.

Before we get into details, lets talk about sitting in general. Sitting often gets a bad reputation, with some even going as far as saying "sitting is the new smoking." Of course, sitting around all day is not ideal for optimal health, but it is a normal part of human life and we should have strategies available to us to ensure it does not hinder our health, fitness, or performance goals.

Sitting Posture

With that being said, lets take a look at what "proper" sitting posture looks like. Proper is in quotes because in reality, there is no such thing as good or bad posture. Sitting up tall is not inherently good or bad. Slouching is not inherently good or bad. Problems begin to arise when we are stuck in any one position for a prolonged period of time. When are static for extended periods of time, muscles tighten up, joints stiffen, and our body gets used to this position. So when we go to move, our body says "not so fast," and this is when we often experience those aches and pains.

The solution? Change up your sitting position on a regular basis. If you've been slouching for a while, sit up straight for a bit. If you've been trying to sit up straight for a while, let yourself slouch. Check in with where your weight is distributed. If you feel that you are more on your right side, shift to your left, and vice versa. Put your feet out in front of you for a bit. Tuck them under the chair after a while. These are just some suggestions, but the idea here is that you should regularly change up how you are sitting. That does not mean you need to constantly fidget around, but rather just check in once in a while and make some subtle shifts and adjustments. To summarize, there is a saying that puts it simply-"the best posture is the next posture."

Making Sitting More Comfortable

Next, lets take a look at ways to make sitting more comfortable. Besides for being static and the resulting stiffening of muscles/joints, one of the reasons sitting can cause problems is because of the constant pressure it puts on the part of our hips/glutes/legs that we are sitting on. So, in addition to changing postures, another strategy we can use is to change where that pressure is distributed. These are some very simple strategies that can be used almost anywhere.

1) Sit on a thin book, magazine, folded up towel, or some similar object. You can sit on it with both hips, or put it under one hip at a time. Play around with all options and see what works best. You usually do not need much elevation at all to make a difference in pressure distribution, especially when putting it under one hip at a time.

2) Elevate your feet on a book, pillow, folded towel, or small stool. Try elevating both feet at the same time or alternate between elevating each foot separately. Similar to above, it does not take much elevation to change the part of our pelvis where pressure is distributed.

3) Alter your foot pressure. This one may seem minuscule, but it can be a game changer. Often times, we find ourselves on the outside of our feet, especially when sitting. This position puts some slight tension on the outside of our legs all the way up into the hips and low back. If held over a longer period of time, this tension can really start to irritate the hips and low back. If you notice you're in this position, spend some time with your feet deliberately flat on the ground, with a slight emphasis on the inner part of your feet. This can relieve that outer hip/low back tension and make both sitting and standing up afterwards much more comfortable.

Next time your stuck at your desk or on a long drive, give these a shot and see how they feel.

Moving While Sitting

Finally, lets talk about moving while sitting. The best option here is to actually get up and go for walks periodically. But, sometimes this isn't feasible, so we will go over some ways to get some movement in while you are sitting. Here are some exercises you can do while seated in pretty much any chair or car.

1) Seated Adductor Squeezes; put something between your legs-a foam roller, folded up pillow, or a small ball will work well, but you can even put your fist between your knees if nothing else is available. Make sure feet are flat and pointing forward. From here, simply squeeze the object between your knees, hold for 2-3 seconds, relax, and repeat for 10-12 reps at a time. As you squeeze, you should feel your inner thighs working a bit. This inner thigh (adductor muscles) contraction will take some pressure off the low back and glutes. Here is a demonstration video: https://youtube.com/shorts/0Fvkp--Ditc​

2) Seated Hip Shifts; you can put something between your knees, same as above, or just do it without as shown in the video below. Make sure feet are flat and pointing forward. From here, shift one knee back and one knee forward, pause briefly, then repeat on the other side and continue to alternate for 8-10 reps per side. Though you are focusing on shifting your knees forward/back, the movement is really happening from the hips-with the leg that is pulled back, you may feel some gentle stretching/work in the glutes and/or inner thigh-if you don't, that is okay, as long as the movement is happening through the hips. Getting reciprocal movement through the hips will help keep the hips and low back loose. Here is a demonstration video: https://youtube.com/shorts/6sCpTa7WCP0?feature=share​

3) Desk Breathing; you will need a desk for this one, but it will be great for keep the upper back/neck loose while sitting for prolonged periods. Get set up sitting close to the desk, feet flat, elbows on the desk. Sit straight with chest/eyes pointing forward without arching through the back. Elbows should be bent with palms facing you. From here, gently push the upper back away from your hands without slouching-you will feel a gentle stretch in your upper back between your shoulder blades; then, take long, slow, relaxed, deep inhales through your nose, and long, slow, relaxed, full exhales through your mouth without losing position. As you inhale, you should feel a gentle stretch through your upper back; repeat for 6-8 breaths at a time. Here is a demonstration video: https://youtube.com/shorts/TeNr7umOk0U​

Try these exercises out and see how they feel.

To wrap this up, sitting for prolonged periods of time is not ideal, but it is part of our lives, so it is best to have some options to minimize potential issues and keep us feeling good. Next time your stuck at your desk, on a long flight, or sitting in traffic, try some of these strategies and see which ones work best for you!

Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where will we continue to break down some common daily activities and provide some strategies to make them more tolerable if you are dealing with pain or injury. Also, if you have any topics that you want to see covered in a future newsletter, please let me know!

Brett