Are You Sitting Down?
Then get up.....sitting down is probably causing your body some grief.
Think of how much sitting you actually do in a day. You might drive to work or catch the train, sit at your desk all day at work, or be working on the computer, even at night relaxing on the lounge watching the latest episode of MKR. It all adds up to loads of sitting on your butt. Guess what we humans are designed to be mobile.
Sitting affects your posture, flexibility and mobility & also weakens your core. Goodbye to that 6 pack you have been working on!
Just look at how your abs bulge out when you are sitting slouched, there is no room for your abs, they have to push out. Now stand up suddenly you have more room and your core can engage. I like to think of it as your "body wardrobe". Imagine a wardrobe which really is too small for all your clothes, you don't have enough room, everything is falling out. But if you have more room everything fits. Exactly the same thing happens when you stand up you instantly have more room and you can engage your core.
Are you always complaining you are not flexible or blaming jogging for your tight hamstrings? Think again it could be you are sitting too much.
When you sit your knees are in a bent position for a long time, which causes the hamstrings to shorten and become tight. Not only does sitting affect your hamstrings but also your glutes become weak and your hip flexors shorten resulting in back pain. When you do exercise your hip flexors are so dominant and glutes so weak your hip flexors immediately kick in and do most of the work. Check out next time you are doing squats or crunches what muscles are you working... chances are it will be your hip flexors and not the muscles you want to train.
Who have thought doing nothing but sitting could be so bad for you. Aim to get off your butt every 30 minutes, stand, get your legs moving and stretch, even if it is for a few minutes and your body will love you for it.
Then get up.....sitting down is probably causing your body some grief.
Think of how much sitting you actually do in a day. You might drive to work or catch the train, sit at your desk all day at work, or be working on the computer, even at night relaxing on the lounge watching the latest episode of MKR. It all adds up to loads of sitting on your butt. Guess what we humans are designed to be mobile.
Sitting affects your posture, flexibility and mobility & also weakens your core. Goodbye to that 6 pack you have been working on!
Just look at how your abs bulge out when you are sitting slouched, there is no room for your abs, they have to push out. Now stand up suddenly you have more room and your core can engage. I like to think of it as your "body wardrobe". Imagine a wardrobe which really is too small for all your clothes, you don't have enough room, everything is falling out. But if you have more room everything fits. Exactly the same thing happens when you stand up you instantly have more room and you can engage your core.
Are you always complaining you are not flexible or blaming jogging for your tight hamstrings? Think again it could be you are sitting too much.
When you sit your knees are in a bent position for a long time, which causes the hamstrings to shorten and become tight. Not only does sitting affect your hamstrings but also your glutes become weak and your hip flexors shorten resulting in back pain. When you do exercise your hip flexors are so dominant and glutes so weak your hip flexors immediately kick in and do most of the work. Check out next time you are doing squats or crunches what muscles are you working... chances are it will be your hip flexors and not the muscles you want to train.
Who have thought doing nothing but sitting could be so bad for you. Aim to get off your butt every 30 minutes, stand, get your legs moving and stretch, even if it is for a few minutes and your body will love you for it.