Sit Right!

Unless you happen to be on your feet all day at work, you probably sit too much. Most of us do. When we go home, we sit on the couch. When we have dinner, we sit on a chair. When we watch movies, we sit in the theatre. When we go out, we sit on a stool. Bottom-line: We spend a huge chunk of our lives sitting down. If that’s true then it’s important to be, well, good at sitting. Don’t you think?

Good sitting posture

Sitting for over six hours is considered to be too long and it has been noted to have serious health problems including back aches/pains, abdomen pains amongst others. Also, according to recent research, prolonged sitting can increase the risk of a heart diseases and attacks by up to 64%. So here’s the question, should we resign ourselves to a lifetime of pain and distress? The answer is a big NO. The good news is that it is easy to deal with the negative effects of sitting too long, no matter how lazy you are and most effectual way is to learn how to sit properly. Today, you are about to discover five easy steps to sitting correctly-almost automatically.

Step 1: Be aware of how you sit
When you sit down, take a moment to check your sitting posture. Scoot all the way back so your lower back rests against the back support of the seat. Your back should be straight. If your seat causes you to lean back or your head to push forward the next two steps will help.

Step 2: Choose the correct chair
A good chair will work wonders for your sitting pasture. Choose a chair with an arched seat to provide back support for good posture throughout the day. Look for seat without a head rest which pushes your head forward. 

Step 3: Use a back support pillowHave a bad chair or car seat? All is not lost. Use a well designed back support pillow to provide the right lumbar support and you will maintain proper back posture even in the worst of seats.

Step 4: Keep shoulders straight
Once you have adjusted your back to a more correct position, then it is time to bring those forward shoulders back. Most people that slouch also keep their shoulders in a curved position when sitting. This is poor practice and it is important that you straighten your shoulders. Again, at first, this will be uncomfortable, but, if you maintain this position for a few days, it will become easier and eventually, the discomfort will dissipate altogether. A great way to ensure that your shoulders remain straight while you sit is to keep them pressed against the back of the chair you are sitting on. If this is done, your shoulders will most certainly be in the correct position (unless of course your chair forms an arch at the back).

Step 5: Plant your feet firmly on the ground. 
It is important to keep your feet planted on the ground. keep them shoulder width apart. This will help support your back while you sit. If you are shorter than mst and your fit cannot touch the ground, either find a new chair that fits your needs or try your best to work without your feet. Once you have your feet plantedon the ground, keep them there!
Now that you learnt the basics of a good sitting posture, I hope you won’t be found slouching your way through the day!

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/howtositcorrectly.aspx
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/01/11/proper-sitting.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/82061-correct-seating-posture/