Tips and Tricks to sit longer without pain and Discomfort.
Exercises for back to help you sit longer without pain. Here is a video showing five simple and effective exercises to help you sit longer at your desk, car, plane, movies, concerts or anywhere.
Our body was designed to keep moving. But in this age of computers and Facebook we don’t realize how much we sit until we feel the stiffness in our spine, neck, lower back and numbness on our tail bone.
Secrets from my Chiropractor – Simple Tips to avoid Back Pain, Stiffness and Fatigue
- Refrain from watching television in bed or on a sofa when lying down.
- When sitting at a computer, sit up straight, (C-Curve in the middle of your back). Try not to lean back on the back rest as this misaligns the spine. Use a small lumbar support in the middle of the back if needed. You can lean back for a minute to relax and then come back to sit up straight.
- Make sure your chin is lined up at the middle of the computer screen. If using a laptop, get a stand to lift it and get a separate keyboard to place on the desk. Also, the keyboard should align at right angle with your arms. There should be no strain on your wrist. If you feel a strain at your wrist, then get an adjustable keyboard tray. These extra steps go a long way to avoid wrist pain, tendonitis, shoulder, neck and back pain.
- Try to get up and walk around every 10 to 20 minutes or when you feel yourself getting stiff.
- If you have back problems avoid crossing your legs and try to stand on both feet instead of putting all the weight on one leg.
- Get some kind of stretching or yoga program going! Meditation and breathing help.
- If you talk on the phone a lot or more than a minute, then get headsets immediately. Neck problems trickle down and affect the whole spine and are cause of migraines and back troubles.
- Sitting on a Sofa or recliner with your neck against the neck rest or the back restricts the movement of the neck. Alexander Technique recommends keeping the neck free. This simple awareness can go a long way in keeping the spine straight. If you feel lazy and sloppy then don’t sit on a sofa, just lie down in bed instead. Look for an Alexander Technique teacher in your area who can teach you other simple habits to a healthy back.
I have been a student of The Alexander Technique and Moshe Feldenkrais for many years. These simple movements and techniques are a good solution to relieve back stiffness and will allow you to sit longer in comfort.
A good book to explore other Feldenkrais techniques is “Relaxercise” by David Zemach-Bersen and Kaethe Zemach- Bersin. Also, my special thanks to Dr. Frank Wildman, former president of the Feldenkrais® Guild of North America, who through his books and videos has been an inspiration to me. And a shout out to Richard Hamre, my Alexander Technique trainer for many years.
I showed some of the movements to my Mom who was suffering from frozen shoulders and lower back pain and could not sit for long. She could not even raise her hands or comb her hair. Her Orthopedic Surgeon had recommended surgery. But within two to four weeks of doing these simple movements she did not need the surgery and she was fine.
I sit at my desk every day at work for 6 to 7 hours and then go home and sit some more to watch the news or TV. These exercises were a lifesaver. You can do them once or twice a day. I have included them in my yoga and exercise routine in the morning. Sometimes I do one or two again in the day if I feel my back getting stiff at work or in the car. Another good time to do them is while watching TV.
Also, check out the Extended Comfort Seat Pad with LiquiCell technology.
It’s a thin pad with the innovative LiquiCell Technology. It is similar to a gel seat cushion but different in the sense that it uses ultra-thin liquid filled membranes specifically designed to provide long-term seating comfort. It keeps the blood flowing at the point of contact between you and the sitting surface, thus providing improved long-term seating comfort by reducing and even eliminating fatigue, numbness, fidgeting and tail burn.
You can also look for LiquiCell Technology in the $3000 office chair by Recaro, where the Seat Pad comes built-in, in the chair’s seating surface. LiquiCell is now being used in a variety of products from Florsheim shoes, kayak seats, gardening gloves etc.
Also check out the Walk on Water Insoles with Liquicell. These insoles are so thin and yet so effective. You can be on your feet all day long and not get tired. They also don’t change the fit of your shoes because the technology allows them to be thin. Check out the LiquiCell Video to learn more about the technology
