Think about it. You sit for about six hours a day at school. And when you go home, you head straight to the couch to watch TV, play video games, or use your cell phone/tablet. The problem isn’t sitting; instead, it’s sitting too much.

Who knew that sitting could be harmful? Today, it is classified as a disorder. Your body was engineered and intended to move. Physical activity keeps the body alive and healthy. It progresses stamina and energy. On the contrary, inactivity does the exact opposite. However, as technology advances, such as video games and Netflix movies, modern living will not be compatible and further impede the intention of physical exercise.

Unfortunately, sitting occurs significantly more frequently than it should, regardless of age, employment, or lifestyle. Everyone must sit, but not everyone has a plan to counteract and mitigate the negative impacts and repercussions of sitting. However, the good news is that it can all be reversed.

The Detrimental Effects of Sitting

Research has linked many health and movement issues to sitting for long periods of

time. As a result, the respiratory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems become deconditioned.

Diminishes Metabolism

Sitting too much slows down your metabolism to less than usual. And that affects

the body’s ability to regulate internal functions properly, meaning a slow metabolism cannot process energy fast enough.

Sitting puts your health at risk for:

• Obesity and excess body fat.
• An increase in cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
• An increase in blood sugar, exposure to hyperglycemia, and type 2 Diabetes.

Exercising for at least 20 minutes daily will counteract the negative consequences of excessive sitting. So, if you are playing sports or some recreational activity daily, you need not worry. And if not, you need to stand up and move around more often. For example, every 20-30 minutes, get up and move around for 5 minutes. Or try to do it many times during the day.

Like your computer, it shuts down when it enters hibernation mode due to inactivity. If you simply move the mouse, it activates the computer. And similarly, simply moving your body around activates your metabolism to start reversing the detrimental process.

Disrupts Your Body Alignment

The more significant, complex issue deals with alignment and posture. Sitting just 10

minutes deviates your posture and alignment for the worst. Did you ever sit for ten minutes, then shift your body one way and then another? Those are unconscious adjustments happening in your body. But you don’t notice them until you feel tension or pain in a muscle. And by that time, the damage is not done but just beginning.

This is important to address and understand because these issues lead to musculoskeletal disorders, wear, tear, and injury. The problem is when you go to move. Poor alignment cannot distribute forces properly.

Center of Gravity

Sitting weakens one of the most important muscles and areas of your body- the

glutes and the hips. The hips are the central point where alignment is generated. When the glutes are weak, the hips change position. The change in position deviates from alignment, which promotes imbalance and instability. Your body is intelligent. Other joints will compensate based on one to reduce pressure and pain, which diminishes range of motion and mobility.

For example, when the glutes are weak, the hips tilt forward. If they tilt forward, the lower back hyperextends. When the back hyperextends, you cannot lift your knees as high. It primarily puts excessive strain on the lumbar, knees, and hamstrings affecting more of the lower body than the upper.

If the hips tilt backward, your spine rounds forward. And that will limit and restrict your shoulder and neck mobility. So, this position primarily involves the upper body.

Misalignment Creates Dysfunction

When your hips are misaligned, your movements will be compensated and

dysfunctional. This means you will not move functionally well. It can be very slight to severe.

For example, if you play basketball with a rounded spine, constantly lifting your arms above your head will cause pain and injury to your shoulders. Or, if you sprint and run with a hyperextended lumbar, it will create a lot of tension on the lumbar and knees.

Think about putting a circle peg in a square hole; you can try to grind it and force it in, but it won’t fit. The same as you trying to lift your arms straight above your head with a rounded spine, raising them into an extended position places force upon the joint.

This is important to understand because misalignment leads to dysfunction. And repetitive dysfunctional movement leads to musculoskeletal issues, pain, strain, and injury.

Furthermore, you are at a greater risk of injury if you run around with any of these musculoskeletal issues at practice or on the field.

The Fix

Not to complicate things, but physical activity does not fix postural or alignment

issues. On the contrary, it makes them worse and more prone to injury, pain, and musculoskeletal disorders as you age.

The fix here is restoring functionality. There are numerous ways to fix functionality, but here is a quick one. Squeeze your glutes and hold them for 15 seconds. Perform this three times in a standing position. You can also do the same with lunges. In the lunge position, squeeze your glutes and hold for 15 seconds. These two exercises can help reverse the course of dysfunction.

People often do back and spine strengthening exercises that do not resolve their pain because the root cause is the hips. When the glutes are strong, the hips will move back into a stabilized, balanced, and well-aligned position. From there, the spine will self-correct its alignment. Also, when the glutes are strong, it naturally activates the abdominals and core through reciprocation.

The balance of the hips affects the spine’s position. In addition, the spine’s position affects the position and alignment of the shoulders and neck. Since the hips are most affected by sitting and influence the spine’s alignment, do glute strengthening exercises first.

In the End

Mindful repetition is the key to forming good or bad habits. So, to change habits, for the best, be mindful to be repetitive. Therefore, when you move into a poor position, you will know to sit up straight.

For more info about strength training, check out the book, INSTANT STRENGTH.

For more info about balance and alignment, check out the book, THE BALANCED BODY.