How are your hip flexors?

When we sit our hip flexors are shortened as their job is to bring the thigh towards the torso and when sitting up on your sit bones the hips are flexed at about a 90 degree angle.

If you sit for long periods this can lead to muscle imbalances between the front and back of the hips and so it’s important to break up periods of sitting to move your legs. Like in this video. 

You should note that while sitting still for hours on end isn’t ideal, if you sit up on the sit bones as described above, this will be better for you then sitting in other ways for hours on end.

For example, if you sit in a posterior tilt (angle greater than 90 degrees and bum tucked under) your hip flexors can still present as feeling tight because in this slightly lengthened position while sitting for long periods they become underused. Sitting with your bottom tucked under for long periods can lead to other issues too such as lower back and glute stress (which you may feel as sore or tense) and postural issues. 

So when sitting still something that looks more like the 90 degree angle is preferable but remember that this isn’t enough and movement is necessary throughout the working day for keeping your body happy and balanced. I hope the video above helps your hip flexors and the rest of the lower body too!