How to Sit in a Chair All Day with Comfort

We spend a large portion of our day in the sitting position; yet why is it so uncomfortable to sit all day? Unfortunately, the human body is not designed to remain permanently in one place. It is designed to constantly move, so any prolonged sitting is naturally going feel uncomfortable. To overcome this problem we need learn how to balance our body on our skeletal frame, for allowing muscle relaxation and comfort.

Most of us understand that to maintain a healthy spine we need to sit up straight. By learning to use balance in our body though using our anatomical skeleton, we become vertically aligned but relaxed. I call this position a “relaxed hold”, because all the muscles that surround the spine remain comfortable and relaxed. No tension is required and once you become accustomed to the altered sitting; you will be able to remain in it for as long as you want throughout the day.

When we sit firmly on our pelvic bones and feel them touching the base of the chair; our central body weight runs through the spinal column to our pelvic bones. The position is made easier, if your ankles, hips and knees are all at 90 degrees and your feet are about one foot apart for stability. Test this position by lifting up your left pelvic bone and placing your left hand underneath it. Repeat this procedure on the other hand and move your back until you can feel your full body weight traveling down your spine to your pelvis. Remove your hands from under each pelvic bone. This is the position that you want to remain in. It is not an uncomfortable position, but it is difficult to sustain without practice. Eventually you will no longer require a back rest to lean on, as this is the safest method of keeping your back straight for any prolonged sitting.

Let me describe my background for understanding this topic further. As a teenager, it was found that I had one leg longer than the other by 2 centimeters. A common feature in tall women and results in a condition called postural scoliosis of the spine. It means the spine has an abnormal lateral curve in the lumbar region. This abnormal curve creates a weakening in the joint spaces of the lumbar vertebral area that precipitates an impingement on the sciatic nerve when lifting anything heavy. In my youth, this created major limitations to my practice as an Occupational Therapist, when lifting and moving heavy patients, plus carrying backpacks on traveling.

I am now sharing the principles for learning how to overcome skeletal difficulties, simply by using the “relaxed hold” mechanism. My background knowledge in Occupational Therapy and my own personal experience in managing functional tasks with skeletal deficits and arthritis have both provided me with the ability to empower functional comfort in daily living activities. My chairs are not ergonomic, but my Active Living Plan will create the movements that you need, in order to sustain ergonomic and safe positioning.