Our ancestors have a few things to teach us about how we have adapted to sit
By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie).
How we work has changed in the past few decades here in Ireland. Sedentary, seated jobs have been on the rise while more physical roles have been in decline for many decades.
We burn fewer calories during the workday – while consuming too many calories, meat, dairy and highly processed food in this country (which is no doubt contributing to our aches and pains, as well as general health).
So, what can we do about all of this sitting at work? Are we destined for ill-health, achy backs and general lethargy? The short answer – absolutely not.
Sitting IS NOT the new smoking
You may have heard it said that sitting is as harmful to health as smoking. It is not – and it is perfectly healthy to sit regularly throughout a normal day.
Now this is not an excuse to sit all day long. If you find yourself in a cycle where you sit all day at work, sit during your commute and sit for most of your leisure time in the evening, this is not a sustainable way to live in the long run.
So, what can we do about this?
Our ancestors sat a lot
Modern-day hunter gatherers (whose lives likely resemble those of our ancient ancestors) spend a large percentage of their days sitting or resting – around 10hrs per day is common. These people don’t use any chairs – they spend this time sitting on the ground, squatting low or kneeling. They use a wide variety of positions and postures. They don’t spend too long in these positions either – usually moving about within 20 minutes.
Does this routine of varied positions and postures on different surfaces in brief bouts of up to 20 minutes sound like a typical day at the desk? For most people it doesn’t.
In fact, we tend to be more concerned about adjusting our ergonomically designed chairs and computer monitors so we can sit in a sustained posture – with knees, hips, spines and shoulders all “perfectly aligned”.
No chairs – no problem
Google image search “Hadza sitting” – you will see images of members of the Hadza tribe, based in Tanzania, squatting, slouching, sitting on a rock, twisted to one side. Positions that might cause an old-school ergonomist to fall off their perfectly fitted chair. But these types of positions and postures are much more similar to how our ancestors rested compared to how we sit at our desks – and I think we have a lot to learn from them.
Your best posture is your next posture
I’m not suggesting you ditch your office chair. But I would suggest a few things to try over the coming days. See if you can fit them into your normal office routine.
Adjust your seat and desk setup throughout the day – try to vary your position multiple times (nothing is off limits so long as you’re not torturing yourself!).
Set reminders to move every 30 minutes. Don’t worry if there are periods where this is impossible – aim to do it as often as you feasibly can.
Don’t worry about sustaining a specific posture – think more about moving regularly and varying your posture.
If you have trouble with any of these suggestions, it is worth discussing it with a physiotherapist to see how you might bring in similar healthy office habits. In my next article we will continue to explore this area and help us all to lead healthier lives, even if we spend a large portion of them at our desks.
