Flying Form (dw)

Sitting Exercises

In the previous post you were introduced to two simple stretching and mobility exercises, please be sure to review the general guidelines about spinal movement before continuing with the next set of exercises.

Ear to Shoulder

1. Start with the head being upright, shoulders are back and your back is straight, rest your hands in your lap.
2. Drop your head away sideways, bringing the ear towards the shoulder. Make sure to keep the chin up. • Perform this 3 to 5 times on each side

Variation for a stretch:
In order to stretch the neck muscles while doing the above exercise, drop one hand down and let your arm hang along the body. Now drop the head away from this side towards the opposite shoulder. By pushing the hand towards the floor, you can increase the stretching feeling.
Again hold this position for about 10 seconds.
• Repeat 3 times on both sides

Shoulders

1. Push the shoulders forward, letting your hands rest in your lap and round the back a little.

2. Pull the shoulders back. Make sure not to arch the back. To insure a good spinal position, keep the tummy muscles tight.

3. Shrug the shoulders pulling them up to the ears as hard as you can. Hold this position for 3 seconds and then relax. Avoid holding your breath .
• Repeat 3 to 5 times

Variation for a stretch:
Repeat the above exercises 1 and 2, but hold the positions for about 10 seconds.
• Repeat these stretches 3 times

Look out for Active Sitting Part IV for more exercises.

Sitting Exercises

The following set of exercises will help you reduce the adverse effects of inactivity through prolonged sitting. They mobilize your joints, strengthen your musculature, stretch tight and tense muscles and increase your overall level of energy. The exercises are easily done and can be repeated frequently during the day. The more you engage in the simple routine the less likely you will suffer from the effects of continuous inactivity.

Spinal movements should be unilateral, the movement should only take place in one direction. We should for example avoid twisting and bending the spine at the same time. This applies to exercises as well as daily movements. Exercises or movements to ‘loosen up’ such as rolling the head can cause damage rather than being helpful and should be completely avoided.

Spinal movements should also avoid hyper-extension of the back, you should not curve the back backwards. Again, some exercises such as dropping the head back should therefore be avoided.

When exercising on the ball, sit upright and allow the spine to be in its natural curve and in good alignment. Breath normally during all exercises. Tighten the muscles in your stomach (simply pull your stomach in) as the musculature supports the lower back, stabilizes the hip and makes the exercise more effective. Hold on to the edge of the table or rest your wrists on the edge of the table, unless instructed otherwise.

EXERCISES FOR THE NECK & SHOULDERS:

Pigeon
1. Push the head forward, as far as possible, while keeping the shoulders back.
2. Pull the head back, keeping the chin down. Hold your head in this double chin position, then push it forward again.
• Repeat exercise 3 to 5 times

Variation for a stretch: Push the head forward as before. Then pull the head back and down again and hold this position for about 10 seconds, feeling a stretch in the back of the head and neck. • Repeat stretch 3 times

Head Turn
1. Keeping the shoulders straight and still and rest your hands in your lap.
2. Turn your head as far as possible, looking over your shoulder. Repeat on the other side. Compare the two sides and see if you have equal mobility when turning your head.
• Repeat 3 to 5 times

You will find Part III of the Active Sitting program in the next post.

In a recent post we looked at sitting and how certain sitting positions can have an adverse effect on our spinal system. What does active sitting mean? In our active sitting program we introduce small exercises into our day. These exercises help us to loosen our muscles, to lubricate our joints and to strengthen and stretch our muscles to maintain a good posture. All exercises are done sitting on the ball. The ball on its own is a good way to keep the otherwise passive position of sitting relatively active. When sitting for a long period of time a good indicator of the state of our posture is our breathing. A posture which enables us to take a deep breath is naturally upright and in good spinal alignment. As we slouch our breathing becomes shallow and restricted, depriving us of one of our main sources of energy, oxygen. As the breathing is shallow the body accumulates high levels of carbon dioxide causing us to fatigue. Internal organs can be compressed and blood flow to these organs can be restricted, thereby reducing their functionality. Sitting upright enables us to breath more deeply allowing our body to work more efficiently.

Breathing Exercise:

1. Slowly take a deep breath and as your chest rises, feel how your thoracic vertebrae start straightening up without the conscious use of any other musculature such as your back muscles.
2. Exhale and let the shoulders, torso and chin fall down and forward a little. Repeat the exercise a few times.
We can enhance this simple exercise when sitting on the ball by gently rolling forward when inhaling and backward when exhaling. By rolling forward and back on the ball we mobilize the entire spine during this exercise. By simply focusing on our breathing we can thereby achieve an improvement in our sitting posture. Try to correct your posture in this way as often as possible during your working day. Allow your spine to be more upright, assuring good breathing and thereby increasing your energy levels.