ATHLEAN-X™

Sitting is the New Smoking

Did you know that one the leading causes of visits to the doctor’s office is low back pain? Studies have shown that it is the second leading cause of visits behind respiratory illness and that 80% of the population will experience low back pain at some point in their life? Not only that, but it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. However, what if I told you that chronic low back pain is completely avoidable? That it is actually a consequence of our actions, or inactions, rather? As a matter of fact, sitting for hours on end during the day; a sedentary lifestyle is causing more harm than you think. Inactivity and weakness, especially in the glute medius, is one of the leading causes of back pain in the first place. Without activity and addressing these weaknesses, you are only adding to the problem as your body becomes weaker and weaker. Add in the the fact we spend, on average, 7-9 hours a night sleeping. This is another instance of non-mobility and inactivity that compounds with the sedentary inactions that comes from sitting all day. The human body was not meant to be immobile for this many hours in the day. However, there are few things you can do to combat a sedentary lifestyle, especially at work. It starts simply with getting up from your desk and spending just a few minutes walking. While 5 minutes of walking every 30 minutes would be ideal, it’s not always realistic. However, there are some ways to add in a few extra steps during the day, such as when you have to take a phone call, go walk while on the phone. Another tactic to combat the effects of sitting all day is something that not many people think of right away. That would be hanging from a bar. A simple bar hang has incredible benefits on the human body, not just related to back pain. While spinal decompression is certainly one benefit, that’s just the start. There are benefits to building grip strength, shoulder mobility, core activation, and mobility of the thoracic spine - somewhere we lose mobility as we age and especially engage in a sedentary lifestyle. Think about your posture when you are at your computer all day or on your phone. You are more than likely slumped and have rounded shoulders. Being in this position for hours on end during the day is going to cause you to lose your posture and mobility in specific areas. So, get moving more often, try to limit how much time you spend sitting throughout the day, engage in fitness activities as often as you can, and hang from a bar every day to really change your life and the effects that sitting has on your body. For more tips on building muscle, correcting posture, stretching, and chronic aches and pains, be sure to stay tuned to this channel and remember to subscribe so you never miss another video from a physical therapist with a pro sports background as a PT and strength coach. You can subscribe to this channel here - http://bit.ly/2b0coMW Get Your Workout & Meal Plan: 📝 https://www.athleanx.com Connect With Me: 👉 https://www.instagram.com/athleanx For complete step-by-step workout programs, head on over to athleanx.com and make sure to use the program selector to find the training plan that is best suited to your personal goals. Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).