It’s not just sitting at a computer all day long that’s killing modern man: hunching over to use our cell phones, leaning back to read tablets, and even the standing desk is wreaking havoc on our bodies. Crippling our posture to use tiny devices for extended periods of time drops calorie burn dramatically, leads to painful joint problems, and shortens life expectancy.
We caught up with Kelly Starrett, Crossfit’s popular mobility expert and physical therapist to America’s elite fighting forces, to find out how we can spend endless hours with electronics without the associated problems. In essence, Starrett says that there are two keys to body maintenance: proper torso posture and constant movement. Torso posture can be found tightening our butt (20 percent tension), then tightening our abs and finally externally rotating our shoulders (thumbs parallel and pointing forward).
- While standing, feet should be straight and have external tension, as though we were trying to spin dinner plates in opposite directions.
- While sitting, maintain same torse posture as standing. Don’t lean back. Don’t over arch or slump. From there, any lower position, including crosslegs and kneeling is fine (and preferable throughout the day).
Starrett is also no fan of balance balls: they encourages hunched posture and there’s little evidence of them being better than the traditional chair. Check out and share the tips in the video above.
Disclosure: I see Kelly Starrett for physical therapy services. I receive no financial discounts for writing about him. It was entirely my idea because he was giving me tips I thought our readers should know.