Are you like most people who spend the majority of your day sitting down? Well, I’ve got some really bad news for you… But I also got some good news for you.
The really bad news is; sitting in a chair is unnatural and massively destructive to your posture, lower body and overall physical health, it has in recent years been compared to have the equivalent effects of smoking, so if you’re smoking as well you’re on really thin ice…
The good news is that there is room for improvement!
“The floor is only uncomfortable because the body has fully adapted to the chair. As a child and young adult, the floor was as comfortable as any other surface. To reverse this body amnesia, even short intervals throughout the day, spent seated on the floor, will help facilitate movement and improve on the youthful movement patterns, in turn, rejuvenating aspects of the nervous system, including the brain.” – Steve Maxwell.
Super ergonomic chairs, lazy boys, pillowy couches and sofas, well-engineered beds and streamline formed car seats has spoiled our sweet tooth for cushy alternatives and the human’s constant search for comfort and laziness, to the point where our physical being no longer want or can use our surroundings while stationary and in resting positions!
Everything started from the ground. To stand from the floor is a movement we mastered as children. In today’s society, the more removed we are from our ground based movements the more awkward and uncomfortable it becomes to be on the ground. Therefore we also become weaker and weaker and even more prone to injuries and lack of mobility. As you get older, your actual age will be determined by your level of mobility and Range Of Motion – ROM.
Before we go further, lets do a test if you need to read this:
- Position your feet shoulder width, feet slightly pointing outwards.
- With the whole feet touching the ground, squat down to the point where your gluteus (butt) meets your ankles.
If you can do this and sit there comfortably for at least 30 – 60 seconds, you’re free to do something else, if NOT, keep reading.
We inflict ourselves with incredible physical damage on a daily basis by our sedative lifestyle choices and one major factor in this is the constant use of sitting down in some kind of chair or seat, whatever it may be. Make a quick calculation now of how many hours a day you spend sitting down… it’s a lot isn’t it?! The result of this is major disability of your movement patterns and range of motion, complicated issues to your normal posture structure as well as serious damage to your rear muscular function. The majority of people are suffering from postural damage which lead in to all kinds of issues and problems while aging.
Falling is the second leading cause of accidental death worldwide and is a major cause of personal injury, especially for the elderly, since limited mobility and postural strength accelerate impacts in sudden falls which lead to complicated physical trauma.
Give it a few minutes everyday and you’ll do yourself a great service! Working on your natural resting positions is like investing in funds, put the time and money in now and enjoy the yield later. One good thing is that it’s free and won’t cost you a dime.
10 archetypal resting postures
These archetypal postures are of great importance. Most adults completely lose their ability to sit or lay comfortably upon the floor because their bodies have adapted to continual, chronic, chair-sitting. Look closely at old, stooped, bent-over, crippled-up people hobbling down the side walk. If you look carefully, you’ll see their bodies are literally shaped like a chair. This is also a reason why so many people are suffering from lower back pain, this is one way to get rid of those issues.
Not only is it essential to be able to sit and lay comfortable in these positions, but also equally important is it to be able to rise effortlessly from a seated position upon the floor, without using your hands. These are all natural, essential postures our bodies were designed for, start sitting and laying around on the floor as much as possible and avoid chairs as much as possible.
As mentioned above, your actual age can be pretty accurately judged out of the results you get from these tests, the difference between youthfulness and old age is your level of comfort and ability to relax down on the floor, as well as the ability to arise up from the floor to standing. The floor is only uncomfortable because the body has fully adapted to the chair. As a child and young adult, the floor was as comfortable as any other surface. To reverse this body amnesia, even short intervals throughout the day, spent seated on the floor, will help facilitate movement and improve on the youthful movement patterns, in turn, rejuvenating aspects of the nervous system, including the brain.
Practice the skill of rising up from all of the above positions, without using the hands at all. This is more challenging than it sounds. Let me know how it goes!
POSTURE TO THE PEOPLE!
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