People who spend excessive amounts of time sitting are more prone to injury and are at risk for circulation and mobility problems. Sitting for prolonged periods, especially without proper posture, fatigues the muscles and compresses the blood vessels responsible for supplying the muscles with blood. If you must spend a significant amount of time sitting at work or home, change positions frequently and use an ergonomic chair. Purchase a chair with a comfortable seat cushion that allows you to easily adjust the seat tilt and height and the angle and height of the backrest. The seat should be large enough for both legs to fit comfortably side by side without any pressure on the sides of your thighs or on the backs of your knees. Sit with your back in a naturally straight position. Do not force your spine into an unnatural posture as this actually shortens your spine and interferes with circulation. Your spine should not bend toward the front of your body, and there should be no noticeable hollow between your lower back and the chair.
Center your head over the top of your spine in a relaxed and slightly forward position. Use the backrest of your chair for support. Place your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest if your legs are too short to reach the ground. Sitting with your feet dangling or tucked underneath your body can impair circulation to your lower legs and feet, leading to swelling and varicose veins. Keep your ankles even with or slightly in front of your knees. Sit on a pillow if your chair is still too low even after you adjust its height. Sitting on a low chair can cause your legs to bend at an unhealthy angle, interfering with blood circulation and causing leg swelling. It also can put unnecessary pressure on your buttocks and internal organs. Walk around for several minutes out of every hour. Walking encourages your heart to pump faster and harder and increases blood flow to your extremities. It will also help minimize blood pooling in your legs. Moving your arms and legs around while sitting is also beneficial to circulation.
Use padded armrests if you must hold your arms extended from your body for a significant length of time and need the support. Place the fleshy part of your arms against the armrest and move them around frequently to encourage blood flow. Avoid crossing your legs while sitting as this can reduce blood flow to your legs and feet. Crossing and uncrossing your legs while sitting can redistribute pressure and encourage the pumping of blood through the tissues in your legs.Whether success or failure, you need to move forward. The momentum is what is critical.Posted by Geoff in Export, General | I recently came across this article, which talks about using an exercise ball as your home or office chair. I have used an exercise ball as a chair before, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Here are some of the benefits of using an exercise ball as your chair. Whether you spend your desk time at the office, or studying at home for that next exam, office ball chairs can help you in many ways.
Because an exercise ball is not stable, your body needs to try to balance itself on it. The perfect spinal posture is coincidently the easiest to balance with. Thus, your body will automatically try to align itself into the proper posture. This helps improve your spinal health, and decrease back pains. An exercise ball causes to you to change your position often to balance. For example, if you turn 45 degrees to face the phone, your body will assume a new position. This helps reduce damage caused by prolonged sitting in the same position. Another great thing about using this alternative to a chair, is that you can do stretches or mini-workouts whenever you want, without getting up. If you’ve ever stuck waiting for a minute or two, you can make productive use of that time with a quick workout or stretch. Because it’s much more convenient, you will probably do it more, thus resulting in better health. This one is very understandable. Sitting on an unstable surface all day will improve your sense of balance, as well as the reactions of your muscles.
An overall better balance, that can be observed out of the office. Your body primarily uses your core (abdominal) muscles to help compensate for changes in balance. Thus, your essentially getting a low-key abdominal workout. This may not sound like a lot, but consider the amount of time you spend on your computer at the office, or at home. Those hours can build up, and result in a strengthening of ab muscles. Using an exercise ball will keep the blood flowing to all parts of your body, throughout the day. A desk chair on the other hand, reduces circulation to some parts of the body after prolonged use. It has been proven that staying in one position, will make you more tired, while moving around and being active with give you more energy. With an exercise ball as a chair, you will feel much more energized after you finish your work. More movement during the day = more calories burnt. Burning 350 calories per day = losing one pound of fat every 10 days. You may not burn quite 350, but nonetheless, it will help you stay fit.
Specialized exercise balls designed for sitting usage can range from $15 to $80. Much cheaper than buying an ergonomic chair, which can range anywhere from $100 to $400 and up. Who doesn’t like the idea of bouncing around on an exercise ball all day. Exercise balls are an exciting alternative to chairs, and may just give that spark of fun to your day. Update: I just bought an exercise ball for myself. So far, I am really enjoying it! My only complaint is that in the morning when I am half-awake, it is hard to balance. I found this cheap exercise ball which is great for trying it out, if you don’t want to invest $40-$50 in a ball which you may never actually use. Also, before you buy, make sure you know what size is right for you. I am about 5 feet, 6 inches, and the 65cm ball fits me well. Your legs should be almost parallel with the ground. If you are above 5ft10 I would go with a 75cm ball. Have you personally had experience with using an exercise ball as a chair?