You've heard of 'tree' pose, but what about 'chair' pose?!
Some say ‘sitting is the new smoking’, but is it?
I find statements like this interesting for sparking thoughts, but also slightly confusing. This statement really refers to the fact that using chairs for many unbroken hours of being sedentary has been linked with poor health outcomes.
However, it has been found that early man was also sedentary for many hours of the day (to conserve much needed energy), but often either sat on the ground, or in the deep squat position, in readiness to move quickly if needed. So, further discussion is needed on what this statement is really getting at, and whether it actually inspires people to make changes in their lives.
The reason chair-sitting had such a significant impact on our health is because of the way we use it. When the chair is used to flop on and then hardly move, the result is 2-fold.
It affects our overall health because our physiological systems and processes slow right down and therefore become less effective.
Many hours spent in the same position (‘chair pose’), means the tissues of our bodies adapt to this shape. If you add up the amount of time we can sometimes be in this position (to eat, drive, work, sit to watch tv or kids gaming) it can sometimes add up to more waking hours than any other positions.
It has also now been found that even if you do a block of exercise a few times a week, if you then go and sit for hours of the day the impact is still significant on your overall health outcomes.
What does being in ‘chair pose’ actually do to your body?
Think slumped (even if only slightly) against the back of the chair, think lower spine curved back the ‘wrong’ way (squeezing on discs with unequal pressure), think bum and core muscles asleep and think over-curved upper spine so shoulders are rounded forward.
The result can be a feeling tightness in the front of the hips, front of the shoulders, lower back ache and tightness in the back of the legs. Have you ever got up and felt any of these feelings?
What does being in ‘chair pose’ mean your body is NOT doing?
Sitting on a chair means you only lightly resist your own bodyweight to lower onto the chair seat compared to, for example, when you lower right down to the ground.
The reverse is also true, as you only have to slightly push against gravity to get up often using your arms rather than your hips, glutes and legs.
The full movements of going right to the ground and back up are hugely strengthening and if we never practise them the phrase, ‘use it or lose it’ comes into play.
Moving into and out of a chair means you are more likely to overuse your knees & upper back, rather than your firing the more powerful glutes, hips and legs.
Should we remove all the chairs then?
This is obviously a step too far for most! However, I take my hat off to those who go the whole way and de-chair their homes and workspaces in favour of either standing or floor-sitting for working, eating, reading, sleeping...well everything!
For me it’s all about making adjustments and achievable changes, and ultimately being aware of the choices you make with how you use your body.
I work sitting on the floor when I’m working on my lap-top so that I can shift positions regularly and use a multitude of different positions, as well as use the floor space behind for ground movement breaks.
I also like the fact that it forces me to get up and down fully using different methods, all of which I know are benefiting me in different ways. I work from home and I’m very aware this would not be possible in an office space, although I would have floor sitting meeting rooms if I had an office!
Social norms - help or hindrance?
I’m not about breaking norms to make a ‘stand’ (get it?!) as I know that this only feel achievable to a few people. Instead, I like to think around a problem to see if there are other ways to help us make healthy changes whilst also being practical and achievable.
My goal is to try to help inspire ideas that can help people mix up the shapes they create in their bodies throughout the day and therefore add in more movement where possible, to help counteract often necessary sitting.
Have to chair-sit? Ideas to mix it up!
My most common chair-sitting Start with the least ‘unusual’ position of just sitting right on the front edge - when you no longer lean against the chair back, your pelvis is upright, rather than tilted backwards, the spine stacks upright above the pelvis in it’s natural shape and your core and upper body in general are awake and working lightly. To help maintain this, aim for 90 degrees at the knee and keeping your feet flat and hip-width on the floor in front of you. If this feels uncountable quickly then your body is telling you that it needs you to do it more!
Sit on the edge with one ankle on top of the opposite knee, and then swap to the other side.
Tuck one ankle under the middle of the opposite thigh and then swap to the other side.
If you can, tuck both feet under you thighs so you are effectively kneeling on the seat of the chair.
Sit cross-legged on the chair seat
Cross one leg at 45 degrees along the front of the chair seat with the other leg over the side on the floor
To see images of these alternatives to the usual ‘chair pose’ see my Instagram post (@reclaim.movement) on Friday 22nd October - some you may feel comfortable doing in some environments and some maybe not, but it’s actually quite liberating to do what feels right sometimes rather than what’s ‘seen’ to be right. People’s faces are quite amusing!
Why not choose to sit on the floor instead?!
I remember making a ‘story corner’ in the lounge for my eldest son when he had just learned to sit and we’d sit there reading to him (although what he took in at 6 months I’ve no idea, I just remember him feeling the books and seeing the bright colours and loving it!).
Why don’t we do the same as adults? Why not make a cosy corner so that it’s enticing to sit there and comfortable to then spend time on the floor with all the physical benefits it brings.
If you work from home consider sitting on the floor sometimes, standing sometimes, walking around sometimes. This goes for both those stuck at the laptop as well as those who aren’t.
Let's not demonise the chair
Instead of pushing against a large wave, let's be aware of the effects of chair on our long-term health and use it with moderation if possible. If we do sit on chairs, mix up positions to increase movement, blood flow and mobility. And better still, mix it up with floor sitting, standing, walking and just moving more often!
