Australia's physical activity guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise per day. But if you're working a desk job you need more than a 30 minute walk to undo the damage done to your posture from sitting all day. Consistent stretching is critical!

A leading cause of death

It might sounds crazy but sitting is deadly! The human heart, lungs and digestive system function best while standing. Sitting for long periods can put pressure on these organs. This usually leads to you taking short breaths at the desk, and even constipation.

Your major organs aren't the only ones to suffer.

Muscles adapt to the positions they are kept in. This is why sitting for longer than an hour can be detrimental. Once you stand up, your muscles will be tight in all the wrong places.

This is the easiest way to show what causes bad posture from sitting. The blue lines show muscles in the body that tighten up as you sit (hips and chest). The green lines represent the muscles that become weak (back and glutes).

This is how postural issues arise. One half of the body (usually the front) becomes tight and the opposing set of muscles become weak. Without some form of intervention plan, like stretching and strengthening exercises, your body conforms to it's environment. Slowly curling up.

When you stand up, your hip bones are tilted to the front (anterior) by your tight pelvic muscles.

Posture defines how you hold your body, primarily your spine. Any form of compromised posture (spinal position) increases the risk of injury and chronic pain through nerve impingement.

The biggest nerves are those that exit your spine from the lower back, and travel down to the legs. This is where an excessively arched lower back can prove troublesome...

One of the largest nerves in this are is the infamous Sciatic Nerve.

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Now we know it's important. What do we do about it?

Let's have a look at the cause of the problem, that way we can plan a solution.

We know that the chest and hip flexor muscles become tight. The upper back, gluteal and abdominal muscles become weak. Therefore we start by correcting these issues first!

What to stretch

Perform each stretch three times, holding for 10 seconds. Do the stretch sequence after every hour of sitting

Start with a basic standing stretch, this lengthens you out

Then reach for your toes, stretching the backs of your legs

Followed by a Seated Chest Stretch

Then the super important Hip Flexor Stretch

These stretches will improve your posture and reduce the impact of sitting. Do them consistently throughout your day for the best results.

What to strengthen

Perform these exercises once of a morning and once of a night

Hip bridges for glute strength

Crunches for abdominal strength

Shoulder pinches for upper back strength, these can be done anywhere any time

Perform ten reps of each exercise, then take a short rest and repeat 3 times. Do this of a morning and a night and you will be feeling much stronger in no time. Increase the number of reps if it becomes to easy.

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What's prescribed in this article isn't going to turn you into the next Arnold Swatzernigger, but it'll reduce the risks associated with long period of sitting which is SUPAH IMPORTANT! If you currently work a desk job, and don't have a stretching and strengthening routine, start with this!

All the best, harrynewman

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