The human body is not meant to be sedentary.
When we are, bad things happen. In this post i'm going to go over the negative impact on our muscles when we sit too much.
I'll give you great stretches to reverse common muscle tightness from frequent sitting. These will only help if you do them every day and even multiple times a day depending on how much time you spend in a seated position.
I'll give you great stretches to reverse common muscle tightness from frequent sitting. These will only help if you do them every day and even multiple times a day depending on how much time you spend in a seated position.
So if you have a desk job or find your self sitting for the majority of your day then you should pay attention and begin to incorporate the following stretches.
Let's start from the bottom and work our way up...
Even if you don't have a desk job, your feet are most likely going to be in a flexed position for most of the day. Counteract the flex with two variations of this ankle/foot stretch;
Hold each variation 10+ seconds.
Gently come out of the stretch by leaning forward onto your hands.
Slowly roll your ankles in both directions & point/flex your feet.
Repeat a few times daily.
When sitting, your hips are in a hinged position. The hip flexor muscles that cause this movement become so tight that they pull the pelvis forward causing back pain. The glutes and core can also become weak points from this position.
Keep each leg in a 90 degree position.
Without pushing the front knee forward, sink your hips down & slightly forward.
Raise your arm straight up & over towards the side of the forward leg.
Feel the stretch in the rear leg. Do not lean on to the front leg.
Keep your front leg at 90 degrees and your knee close to your body.
Let your hips sink low.
To intensify, twist towards the front leg, raising your arm straight up.
Keep you hips square.
Do not put too much weight into your upper body. It should be in your hips.
The foot of your front leg will be in line with the back leg.
Deepen the stretch by pulling your back leg up.
Crossing your legs makes things even worse. When the muscles of the inner thighs become tight from holding the legs inward, they will pull at the femur and can cause knee pain. With the opposite position of a widened stance, the muscles of the outer thighs can become tight.
In both, use your elbows to gently press the knees.
Keep your posture tall.
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If your heels lift off the ground, place an object under your heels for support. Your body weight should be in your heels.
>>
Fold from your hips, not your back.
Keep your upper body relaxed.
Do not let your shoulders be pulled toward your legs.
Pull from either your
<<
thigh
>>
shin
Repeat with the other leg.
Sitting in front of a computer often leads to a hunched position. The shoulders and head are forward cause tightness in the chest area and weakness in the back.
Fold from your hips, not your back.
Keep your upper body relaxed.
Do not let your shoulders be pulled toward your legs.
Pull from either your
<<
thigh
>>
shin
Repeat with the other leg.
Sitting in front of a computer often leads to a hunched position. The shoulders and head are forward cause tightness in the chest area and weakness in the back.
Gently let your hand be heavy on your head as you pull to the opposite side.
Repeat on the other side.
Clasp your hands together behind your back and gently pull downward, close to your body.
Gently drop your head to either side or perform slow neck rolls.
Every stretch above is counteracting the position most people are in when sitting at a desk. Doing these stretches multiple times a day is arguably better than one hour at the gym in regards to reversing the tightness.
Take care of your body & stretch!!!
Take care of your body & stretch!!!
