photo by Vincent Botta
Q: Are you sitting down right now?
While I can’t know for sure, I think it’s a pretty good bet. According to the most recent statistics I could find, most adults in the US sit for more than 8 hours a day!
We North Americans are probably more sedentary than people in many countries, but this basic trend can be seen around the globe.
It would be easy to talk about why that’s a problem, but I’d rather talk about the amount of time most of spend sitting as an opportunity:
Because if it takes that large a slice of the pie of your life, then how much better would life be if you knew how to sit comfortably?!
Unfortunately, most folks don’t know how to do that. Standing desks and taking breaks to walk around might be helpful, they don’t solve the problem.
Sitting comfortably upright is a skill.
While too much sitting might not be the best lifestyle choice, there is nothing inherently bad about sitting. It’s one of the many positions that your body’s architecture makes possible.
People suffer from “sitting too much” because they sit without skeletal support.
So, while being “inactive” can be problematic, the greater harm comes when you spend hours of each day in a collapsed posture. This stresses your neck and low back and restricts your breathing.
If you hang out for hours at a time, then stiffness, sluggishness and irritability are likely to follow you around even after you stand up!
However, if you learn how to sit comfortably, you will upgrade the overall state of your well-being in innumerable ways, including:
reduced back pain
easier breathing
improved focus
boosted vitality
enhanced meditation
better interpersonal connection
and much more!
I’d love for you to taste those benefits, so I’ve put together a free 5-day challenge to teach you everything you need to know on this vital topic.
Sign up here for the Sit Smarter Challenge, starting Monday, February 3.
I'll be teaching very short live classes Monday through Wednesday of next week at 12pm EST and giving you clear guidelines to practice with each day.
Q: How much better would life be if you knew how to sit comfortably?
I'd love to help you find out!