It’s almost old news now, but sitting is no good for you. Well, let me be more specific- chronic sitting in the same position (usually in a chair) is no good. Just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last couple of years, here’s just of few of the negative impacts of prolonged sitting:

• decreased metabolism in the core muscles
• increased risk of chronic disease & death even if you exercise
• weight gain and obesity
• ‘chair butt’ (a flat, but wide posterior)
• shortened calf muscles
• shortened psoas muscle
• tucked pelvis
• alignment adaptations that can lead to low back pain, knee pain, hip pain or even pelvic floor disorders
• chronic neck tightness and headaches

You can also get caught up by reading more here, here and here.

In a nut shell, I’ve joked with many people that as a chiropractor, I have a job because people sit too much. I mean it light-heartedly, but sadly there is a kernel of truth to the joke.

So what to do to be healthier, extend your life and lessen your bill at your local chiro’s office? It may surprise you, but the answer is not to simply stand all day long at work either. Walking work stations utilizing treaddesks have become en vogue recently as well. This is certainly better from a ‘calories burned’ perspective, but it still misses the bigger picture. Kale is a superfood, but if kale is all you ever ate, you’d still end up with a nutrient deficiencies. Same with walking. It has a ton of benefits for your body- you should do a lot of it. But if its the only way you move your body on a daily basis, you’re still going to be deficient. For instance, walking won’t do much for the balance of muscles in the shoulder girdle that need to hang, grip and pull.

I could go on and write a whole big blog post about what you should do instead, but why reinvent the wheel? Katy Bowman has already written the book on the subject- literally. Her newest book, Don’t Just Sit There! is now available in paperback. Use the box below to sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get my free PDF 7 ‘Health’ Foods to Ditch to Lose Weight & Feel Great AND one lucky winner will be chosen to receive a copy of Katy’s book, on me. Giveaway closes on October 31, 2015 at midnight, so sign up today!