We’re all guilty of ‘over sitting’ (yes, that’s a thing); we’re constantly told to be more active in order to be more healthy, and that translates into our working lives too.

This is all true of course, it’s common sense, but let’s be realistic. You’re probably sitting while reading this, I know I was while writing it.

The problem is that sitting causes many of the body’s biological system to shut down and causes muscle groups to waste away. It’s unavoidable though! We all need to sit for some of the time, some more than other perhaps but there’s only so much we can change.

So that leaves us with another option – How to sit better…

When we sit, our hips roll back into flexion, leading to a loss of natural lumbar curve (often leading to back pain). We need to restore this natural curve of the back.

Onto the ‘how’, with the following exercises you will activate key posture muscles and restore function to the; hips and spine. It’s about posture alignment to reduce the symptoms of pain at the source.

Sitting Knee Pillow Squeezes

This exercise introduces the body to the functional sitting position, versus the average slumped-forward position our bodies have become accustomed to. As the name implies, this exercise targets the adductor muscle group of the hips.

Instructions: 

1. Sit in the middle of a chair with your feet pointed straight ahead, 4-6 inches apart.
2. Place a block or foam roller between your knees.
3. Roll your hips forward to place an arch in your low back. Hold this position throughout the exercise.
4. Squeeze and release the block/foam roller with your knees.
5. Repeat for 3 sets of 20. Be sure to keep your stomach relaxed for the duration of the exercise.

Sitting Abductor Presses

Just like sitting knee pillow squeezes, this exercise introduces the body to the functional sitting position. The hip abductor muscle group goes to sleep when we sit. This exercise will force them to wake up.

Instructions: 

1. Sit in the middle of a chair with your feet pointed straight ahead, 4-6 inches apart.
2. Place a strap around your knees.
3. Roll your pelvis forward to place a small arch in your low back. Hold this position throughout the exercise.
4. Press outward against the strap, then release.
5. Repeat for 3 sets of 20. Be sure to keep your stomach relaxed for the duration of the exercise.

Using these exercises consistently will take you from being at risk of injury to a more healthy body in the long term.