Join me for the Sitting Survival Guide.
This is a 3 part series of videos. I usually teach this information during corporate wellness presentations. Check out the whole series to learn valuable tips and techniques to help reduce and reverse the damage from prolonged sitting.
Please excuse the poor lighting this was shot on location.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION
Hi, Dr. Joe Tichio here, today I am onsite working with a local business helping to improve the quality of health and wellness for their employees. I spent the day sharing what I call the Sitting Survival Guide.
If you sit for a living whether that’s at a desk, in front of a computer, or driving, the hours will add up quickly.
Especially when you take into consideration the hours you spend…
- commuting- whether driving or biking
- eating (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- playing video games
- watching tv
- surfing the web
The hours add up quickly and can easily reach up to 8 or 9 hours a day.
Prolonged sitting takes a toll on your body, it can cause a lot of damage to your spine, create joint degeneration, lead to postural stress, tight muscles, aches and pains, and even lead to headaches, and fatigue. Prolonged sitting has also been linked to a higher risk for diabetes, obesity, and a shorter life span.
So I put a series of videos together titled: The Sitting Survival Guide. This is part 1 and today I’m going to share with you the 3 most important stretches to protect your spine from the damaging effects of sitting.
When you sit, muscles tighten and pull your spine into a hunched position at both the top and bottom.
Your head, neck, and shoulders round forward.
Your hips and pelvis tuck under.
This compresses your spine into a C-shape which is a weak and unstable position for your spine. So the first thing we are going to do is work on your hip flexors, hamstrings, and chest muscles. Relaxing these muscles is the first step to helping your spine recover from prolonged sitting.
I’m going to show you 3 stretches you can do just about anywhere without any special equipment.
Let’s get right to it.
Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
Stand facing a chair. Right foot flat on the ground. Place your left foot on chair. Gently tighten your abdominal muscles and right gluteal muscles to protect your lower back. Bend the left knee and move your hips forward to stretch the right hip flexor. Hold 20 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stand with your right foot flat on the ground and place your left foot on a stable surface (top of desk). make sure your chest is facing front with no twist in your spine. Hinge from your right hip with your head and chest moving forward. Make sure to avoid bringing your chest and face toward your knee. Hold 20 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Chest Stretch
Interlock the fingers of both hands and place them behind your head. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Separate your elbows bringing them inline with your ears, as if you wanted your elbows to touch behind your head. Be careful not to push your head forward. Hold 20 seconds.
Take action and put these 3 stretches to work right away. I recommend performing these every day, preferably in the afternoon (lunch break) and again in the evening. This will help counteract the damage that sitting is creating in your body. Keep an eye out for part 2 of the sitting survival guide.
For an amazing guide to getting rid of lower back pain check out The Back Restoration System, it has helped thousands of people to get out of pain and back to life.
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic, please leave a comment below and I’ll either answer your question here or work it into a new video.
See you soon.
