Healthy Sitting Posture

Good sitting posture is one easy way you can protect your health. Whether you’re in the driver’s seat or relaxing at home, you probably spend a lot of time sitting. Even though you are resting, your sitting posture impacts your physical health in many ways. 

A poor sitting posture can cause everything from spine injuries to shoulder and neck pain to reduced blood flow, while a good sitting posture can help your body rest and recover from all the movement you do. For that reason, it’s important to be aware of your sitting posture. 

Here are a few tips for healthy sitting posture: 

  • Sit with a straight back and shoulders: Sitting with a straight back and shoulders helps keep all of your muscles and bones in alignment without causing extra friction. Ideally, your back will be supported by the chair, giving you extra posture support. 
  • Put your feet flat on the floor: This will help you maintain good blood flow and reduce muscle strain that can occur when you cross your legs. Try to distribute your body weight evenly across your hips and have a small gap between the back of your knees and the chair.
  • Keep your gaze forward: Craning your neck to look at something below, above or to your sides can cause neck pain. If you want to look at a phone, TV or computer for an extended period of time, try to position your chair in a place that allows you to view your device straight on. 
  • Take breaks from sitting: Whether you’re indulging in a Netflix binge or a long road trip, make sure to stand intermittently and stretch when you are sitting for a long period of time. If you start to feel stiff, walk around.

Questions

  1. How would you rate your current sitting posture? 
  2. Have you ever injured yourself while sitting? What could you do to prevent that injury from happening again? 
  3. What are some other things you can do to protect yourself from injury? 

Resource

 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321863#sitting-positions-to-avoid