5 Tips for Those Who Sit on the Job

Sitting too much during the day not only classifies you as "sedentary," it also wreaks havoc on all aspects of your health. You no doubt sit for several hours during the day by default: when you are working, driving in the car, eating meals or watching television. Your back hurts, your neck hurts, and you don't know why because you haven't done anything to justify the pain - or have you?

Roy Khoury, founder of RFK Training in Orange County, California, focuses on golf fitness, injury prevention, strength training and core conditioning. He helps golfers and other fitness-focused clients improve their overall physical health and well-being. He shared his expertise with me on moves you can make to maintain healthy posture when sitting.

Khoury says the human body is always learning. If you sit all day, your body will get very good at sitting. Each day that you sit without promoting healthy movement and engagement of the core, your spine loses stability. It takes one hour of stretching to undo the effects of 20 minutes of sitting, according to Shirley Sahrmann, professor of physical therapy. If you sit for 20 minutes with poor posture, it takes about an hour to decompress those tight areas to relieve pressure from the spine.

Khoury offers these tips to help improve your sitting posture and strengthen your core as you sit at your desk.

Sit on the Edge of Your Chair

By sitting toward the front edge of your seat rather than all the way back, you put pressure equally on your "sit bones" on the right and the left, says Khoury. This keeps your spine tall and stacked. It will be difficult to do all day, so be realistic and try this for a few minutes every hour. Mom was right -- slouching is not good for your posture!

"Pack" Your Neck

It may sound like a funny term but "neck packing" is lengthening and engaging your deep neck stabilizing muscles. When you sit for long periods of time and slouch, the neck and head drop forward. That forward position of the head can cause tension headaches and knots in the neck muscles. Becoming aware of posture and finding a stable position for the head and neck is important for a healthy spine. The best way to learn neck packing is to stand against a wall with your heels, hips and shoulders resting against it. Look straight ahead as you press the back of your head into the wall. Your eyes should remain forward and, if you wanted to, you could hold a book on top of your head. This simple movement helps stack your head over your neck and protects your upper spine. Try it while sitting.

Brace Your Core

Bracing is similar to neck packing in that you train yourself to stabilize your lower spine, placing it in a more secure position. Bracing is typically a reactionary movement, but when you don't give your body a reason to brace, it forgets how. A simple way to learn how to brace the core is to cough. When you cough, you can feel the sides of your abdomen engage and your entire abdomen tighten up. Cough once and hold the tension you feel in the mid-section. If you sit tall on your sit bones, pack your neck and brace your core, you should feel strong and tall.

Start Kneeling

One of the first exercise positions Khoury encourages clients to use is kneeling. Kneeling promotes hip stability-- which is lost when you sit all day -- and stretches your hip flexors, which tend to become tight and cause lower back pain. Try the 1/2 kneeling movement. Kneel on your right knee and engage your right side glute; firmly press your left foot in the floor to engage your thigh muscle. Click here for images of correct form. To properly engage your hips, be sure to switch legs. "Don't forget to brace your core, and keep that head up tall," advises Khoury. Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds per side and do it a couple of times throughout the day. When you're ready for a challenge, Khoury recommends trying the following extended movements: 1/2 kneeling med-ball throws and 1/2 kneeling lifts.

Foam Roll

Foam Rolling is an effective way to loosen up knotted, painful muscles, and promote blood flow. Foam rolling -- known as "the poor man's massage" -- is done with a cylindrical foam piece. It works well on these areas that get tight and destabilize you when you sit:

Psoas/Quads: These are the fronts of your thighs and fronts of your hips.
IT-Band/TFL: More commonly known are the sides of your hips and thighs.
Lats: Muscles on the sides of your rib cage, from your armpit to the pelvis.
Click here for a demonstration of foam rolling.

Source:Roy Khoury; Owner and President, RFK Training, Orange County, California
Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf Fitness Instructor (CGFI-3)

image credit: sxc.hu/Ambrozio