Evolution of Inactivity

If you spend a lot of time sitting or suffer from back pain/bad posture, you’ll want to read this section:

In today’s world, regardless of our activity levels, we find ourselves spending significant time seated. This shift began with the introduction of technologies like television and computers, marking a drastic change from our ancestors’ lifestyles.

For the bulk of human evolution, people spent the large majority of their days on their feet. Our ancient hunter gatherer ancestors spent their days foraging and hunting, constantly moving from place to place.

Then the agricultural revolution came. After this revolution, people spent their days engaged in demanding physical labor on farms.

Next came the industrial revolution. With this revolution, work shifted into factories where people spent their days standing, manipulating machines, and putting together parts.

Finally, we find ourselves in the latest human revolution, whatever you want to call it. We now spend a big chunk of our days sitting, interacting with computers, tablets, and phones.

The one common theme throughout human history is that we’ve become progressively less active over time, which leads to all sorts of problems as we know.

Fortunately, we also have more access to knowledge than any time in human history which will allow us to combat the detrimental effects of sitting and inactivity.

I am going to share with you some powerful tools that you can use to reverse the negative effects of sitting.

The Negative Effects of Sitting

If you want to understand the negative effects of sitting a bit deeper, read this section. If you’re short on time, feel free to skip ahead to the next section.

“When we sit at our computers, we often slouch, craning our necks forward which, over time, can lead to persistent postural misalignment. Sitting can also lead to overall deconditioning, early muscle fatigue, weakened core stabilizers, and tightening of the hip flexors, resulting in increased stress on your low back and reduced spine flexibility.” – Eric K. Holder [1]

Sitting can be extremely detrimental to the way that the human body is designed to distribute force between our different joints and bodily systems. As Dr. Holder described, the position that we are often in while working with computers or engaging with other technology leads to all sorts of issues.

Understanding the detrimental effects of sitting enables us to devise effective countermeasures. That’s what I’m going to talk about next.

Reversing the Negative Effects with Yoga

Yoga offers powerful tools to mitigate these impacts. Below, we’ll explore three yoga poses that specifically address and reverse the adverse effects of prolonged sitting.

1. Camel Pose

Camel pose is fantastic for combating the slouch that we find ourselves in when sitting. In camel pose, your spine and shoulders are both extended which is the opposite of the position that they are in when we sit.

2. Reverse Tabletop

This is another fantastic pose for combating sitting. This pose challenges our hip flexors, core muscles, and shoulders, effectively strengthening all three of the joints that are negatively affected by sitting.

3. Upward Bow Pose (Back Bend)

This is the most challenging of the three poses and takes time to work up to. However, once you unlock this position, it is by far the most effective.

This position puts the hips and spine in maximal extension which is extremely effective at counteracting the weakness and immobility that sitting causes.

Incorporating the Poses

Now that I’ve shared with you the three poses, I want to talk about how you can incorporate them into your life.

• To effectively combat the negative effects of sitting, these poses should be practiced on a daily basis.
• Incorporating a morning or evening yoga session into your daily routine will do wonders for your health and posture over the long-term.
• These positions can be challenging, so take your time while working on them.

There is a plethora of yoga videos available on YouTube, and I share poses and exercises like the 3 that I just shared frequently on my Instagram: More Exercises and Poses

For 1 on 1 personalized coaching, you can book a consultation with me here: Book Now

FOOTNOTES:

1. Why is Sitting so Bad for Us?