Try this at home: test your sitting posture
Join the FREE February 3-5 'SIT SMARTER' Challenge
Photo by Subhaan Saleem
How long can you comfortably sit in a chair before you'd rather stand up and walk around or lie down? What if, instead of a chair, you were sitting on a stool with no backrest?
Although you may not have heard it described this way before, 'good sitting posture' generally means that you don't need a backrest on your chair.
The following simple experiment will help you understand why.
Sit on a standard chair with a firm seat, leaning against the backrest. After seeing how that feels for a few moments, try sitting at the very front edge of the chair. Alternate between these two positions several times, noticing:
In which position is it easier to breathe?
In which position is it easier for you to look all around the room?
In which position is the top of your head closer to the ceiling?
If you're like most people, you'll be more accustomed to leaning on the backrest than sitting at the front of the chair, so that might feel more comfortable to you.
But which position made it easier to breathe?
When did you feel taller and more mobile?
The basic difference between the positions is that at the front of the chair, you must hold yourself up with the support of your skeleton.
However, when you lean on the backrest, your brain think you want to lie down rather than sit upright. If the backrest broke, you would simply fall to the floor.
So, while a chair's backrest can feel like a luxury, your dignity is found at the front edge of the chair when you are carrying your own weight.
No one should feel bad if they aren't comfortable sitting in a chair. Modern culture has robbed us of the necessary experiences that would teach us how to do that easily.
But this vital skill can be learned.
That's what I'm going to be teaching during my free 3-day challenge next week. I'll be offering 'short and sweet' live 'Sit Smarter' classes, Monday-Wednesday at 12pm EST.
Want to join?