Sit well move more

There have been a lot of articles in the press recently suggesting that ‘sitting is the new smoking’. I always say that sitting per se is not bad, it’s how we sit and how long we sit for that leads to problems. So before you ditch your desk entirely, why not see whether the following tips could help you?

SIT WELL 

Sitting well makes a big difference to your body. No one wants to end up with desk-related back pain, right? Here are some simple steps to take to make sure you are sitting in a way that keeps your body happy. 

- Both feet should be flat on the floor. Toes pointing forward. 

- Have a right angle at your ankle. 

- Your knees should be pointing forward and tracking toes. Another right angle at the knee.

- Sit on your sit bones. The bones under your bum. Sitting on these should create another right angle where your legs meet your torso. 

- Have your ribs over your hips. 

- Make sure your shoulders are wide and away from the ears. 

- Have your head in line with your spine (pop your hands behind your head and press your head into your hands, that'll get that head back).

MOVE MORE 

Get up and move for 3 minutes every 30 mins. That's the aim. Schedule movement breaks into your calender. Get this going as an organisation. You can find loads of suggestions on how to move @pilatesatyourdesk on Instagram. 

BREATHE DEEP 

Calm your nervous system, feel energised, stretch those back muscles and feel well. Big breathing has so many benefits. Try this: 

- Place your hands on your bottom ribs, thumbs on the back bottom ribs. 

- Inhale through your nose to a count of 5 sending your breath to the bottom ribs (your hands will move away from each other). Concentrate on breathing into your thumbs especially. 

- Exhale to a count of 5 through your mouth. THumbs return to their starting place. 

- Do 10 big ones a few times throughout the day.

SIT WELL. MOVE MORE. BREATHE DEEP.