How many times have you heard that “sitting is the new smoking?” From chronic back pain to increased mortality risk, everyone knows sitting all day isn’t good for your health. But, still, all kinds of jobs require people to sit for prolonged periods of time. Whether it’s good for your health or not, you still need to get paid, so you just walk it off and tell yourself it’s just the way it is.
Why Sitting All Day Actually Really Matters
Believe it or not, you don’t have to put up with stiffness and back pain caused by sitting. Over time, that pain can affect your ability to run, play sports, exercise, and start to negatively impact your health.
Lucky for you, there’s a saving grace… even if you’ve been sitting for hours on end for years now! In addition to your turmeric-heavy diet and daily use of topical magnesium oil, a few simple exercises done on a regular basis can greatly undo that harm. If you do these five stretches regularly, you can start to regain your full range of motion, feel looser and more limber, as well as avoid pain in your knees and lower back. (You may even feel like dancing. We’re just saying.)
5 Exercises to Stay Limber and Avoid Back Pain from Sitting
Glute Bridges
Lay down on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Next, simply raise your butt and hips so that your body forms a straight line, then lower yourself back down. That’s one rep. You should try to do three sets of ten. As that becomes easier, you can add a weight and simply hold it on your thighs while you do the reps.
This exercise is great for your hips, glutes and, as an added bonus, your abs!
Couch Stretch
This one might be a little tricky at first, but it’s well worth the trouble and is very convenient to do while watching television.
Simply place one leg on the floor, and the other on the couch, so that your knee is touching the back. Then, flex your abs and butt and slowly raise your torso up so that you are standing tall. Hold that position for about 5 minutes (or as long as you can) and then switch legs.
To push it to the next level, you can bring your foot on the floor up to the seat of the couch and try to raise your torso to a neutral position again. This will be tough at first, but can potentially undo years of sitting.
Grok Squat
Start by getting into a squatting position with your feet on the floor, your back straight, and your butt about as low as it will go without touching the ground. (Think of how a baseball back catcher stands.) You should feel the stretch through your legs, back, and groin.
Leg Swings
You may have seen someone doing this at the gym and wondered what they were up to – they were loosening up their muscles and joints.
Essentially, it involves holding something for balance and then swinging your leg back and forth as high as it will go. Don’t swing carelessly, though, because you still want to maintain control of your range of motion. You can start by going front-to-back with each leg, and then side-to-side. Try 20 swings of each kind.
Fire Hydrants
They’re called fire hydrants because you will look like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. (Trust me, it’s less awkward than it sounds.)
Get on on all fours and raise your leg out to the side as high as you can while keeping it bent, then lower it down. That’s one rep. You should feel your hips and butt working.
Give them a try!
Of course, one of the best exercises you can do is to walk around every half hour or so, but I know that’s not always possible. If you find yourself having trouble doing these moves, we highly suggest trying Activations Ease naturally relaxing magnesium for natural and effective pain relief. Within 2-3 simple sprays and a few minutes, inflammation goes down and soreness starts going away. Coupled with some of thse stretches, it will make a world of difference!
