Keeping the Creep Away!!

As I sit and write this post, it occurs to me that I should stand up....As a matter of fact, if you have been sitting more than 15 or 20 minutes, you should too! Here's why...when you sit longer than 15-20 minutes at a time, the ligaments in your low back undergo a process called creep. This article has a pretty good explanation of what happens.

https://www.precisionmovement.co.uk/blog/ligamentous-creep-the-poisonous-weed-of-inactivity

If you've been sitting longer than 20 minutes, the ligaments have been stretched long that they won't return to their shortened position immediately. Which means that the MUSCLES in your low back will have to activate to support and protect your joints (which the ligaments should be doing but can't!). When you're young you probably don't even notice it (which could be said about a lot of things, I suppose:) but over time these micromusclespasms add up until one day you go to stand up and find yourself stuck in what can only be described as the Quasimodo pose (not found in your typical hot yoga class). There are many options at this point but why would you want to practice Quasimodo-asana if you don't have to?! Just standing every 15-20 minutes resets the ligaments and can prevent creep, even if it's just standing up, stretching for a second and sitting down.

Why am I writing this again?? Oh yeah, because many of you reading this have likely been sitting for a long time today or if you're like the average American in this Harvard study,

https://hbr.org/2013/01/sitting-is-the-smoking-of-our-generation

you'll sit an average of 7 or so hours today and increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, etc, etc and blah blah blah, all those 1st world country diseases that are the most common killers of humankind. Keep in mind that these are also disease that thrive on inflammation and inflammatory processes which are increased by stress...

So, in addition to the simple recommendation of standing up, I'd say get a treadmill workstation if you're able. Maybe after enough Steemit posts:)

Thanks for listening!