Ergonomics

We spend the majority of our lives seated. It has been postulated that up to 40% of our lives are spent sitting whether we are working, eating, driving, watching tv, or on the toilet.3 Why not take advantage of this common position and use it to influence our bodies and health positively. Unfortunately, it is common in today's society to relax the trunk musculature and slouch when sitting. What people don't realize is that there is a strong association between neck posture and back posture. As soon as the head starts reaching forward even slightly, posture begins to collapse leading to scapular protraction (rounded shoulders), faulty head and neck posture, improper trunk stabilization, and improper respiration. If you experience back pain, neck pain, or even carpal tunnel syndrome, you should seriously evaluate your workstation and sitting posture.28

I propose that we all practice active sitting. Not only should we concentrate on our posture when seated, but we should also focus on activating our core musculature. Since most chairs today have a backrest, we tend to get lazy when we sit and let our bodies disintegrate into the chair (what I term passive sitting.) Whereas, if we sit up straight and maintain a tight core, we can accomplish active sitting. As a matter of fact, I have most people sit on Swiss ball (the large, resilient ball in Fig. 24 that looks like a beach ball but can be used for exercising) at work or at home. Since the Swiss ball has no backrest and is unstable, your core muscles are constantly active. Not only will the ball promote good posture, but it will also give your back and abdominals a great workout while you're working! The trick is to build up your tolerance on the ball. Sit on the ball for as long as you can and when you tire, you can return to your chair.

As your endurance improves, you will be able to sit on the ball for longer periods of time.3 If you are unable to bring a large, inflated ball to your work environment, consider purchasing a product called a SitFit, which is an inflated disc that will fit over your seat and provide similar benefits. Let's promote optimal health and a great set of "abs" by practicing active sitting on a daily basis.

Note: Posture is important to parents as well - they should constantly observe their children and remind them to straighten up and sit tall when necessary. Most posture-related problems that adults experience stem from their early childhood.5 It has been suggested that little girls tend to stand with their tummies out because it is considered a "cute" posture.6 As mentioned earlier in this article, a forward tilt of the pelvis can lead to hip, knee, and back problems. As well, since good posture is a sign of being well brought up, many kids rebel by slouching and taking a casual approach to posture.21 So, nip it in the bud - your kids will thank you later.