Easy Ways to Move & Exercise More When You Mostly Sit All Day, According to Trainers
We’ve all heard that sitting is the new smoking, meaning it’s not great for your health. Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including heart disease and diabetes.
Less severely, prolonged sitting can increase pain, specifically with tight hip flexors and hamstrings. Additionally, sitting on your butt all day, not surprisingly, affects your butt and causes a condition called gluteal amnesia, also known as “dead butt syndrome.” This occurs when the glutes are weakened by sitting all day and aren’t able to properly activate, making your other muscles, like your quads, overcompensate leading to aches and pains and body misalignment.
“Sitting all day not only increases your risk of many health conditions, but can also negatively affect your posture, increase your risk of injury, and undermine your performance in workouts and everyday life,” BODi‘s star instructor, Jennifer Jacobs, tells SheKnows. “That’s because when you sit for prolonged periods, your muscles become tight and inactive.”
Fortunately, the solution is easy: move your body. Below, trainers share the must-do movements you need to add to your routine to help improve your posture, fire up those glutes, and keep your body balanced and healthy. Either incorporate these movements into your workout routine, or take a 15-minute break from the chair to move your body.
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