SITTING TIPS: INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AND BUILD A STRONG BODY WITH THESE SIMPLE STEPS

29 July by Alessa Caridi

“A man is as young as his spinal column.”
— Joseph H. Pilates

“Sitting is the New Smoking” seems to be the buzz phrase of the season. Yes, sitting all day long is NOT what our bodies were created or designed for, but it is also a necessary evil. For example, many of us need to sit in a car to get to and from work and that travel can be a large percentage of our day.

So, if sitting is so bad for us, how do we combat this ‘new smoking’ epidemic?

The solution of the season: Standing Desks.

Everywhere I look people are installing standing desks and telling me, “it’s been a week and I feel wonderful.” “A week? Wow,” I respond. “How many weeks a year do you work?!” You should see the looks I get. But, we must acknowledge that the opposite of sitting in an office is standing, and standing to the extreme (meaning standing all day) is going to have negative effects on our bodies also.

So, what’s the JōbuFIT solution for all seasons? Learn to sit correctly and follow the JōbuFIT sitting tips.  You need to work with the cards your are dealt: learn how to sit so your body is properly aligned, and therefore, at its strongest, most Jōbu. We call this the Jōbu-Setup: follow these simple sitting tips and work from the bottom to the top:

The JōbuFIT Sitting Tips aka the Jōbu-Setup

1. Start with you Feet: Plant them firmly on the ground and make sure the toes are pointed forward.
2. Make sure your Knees are over your Ankles (not over your toes).
3. Move up to your Hips and sit on top of your Sits Bones (the boney part of your bum).
4. Sit up tall and elongate your Spine; make yourself as tall as you can be.
5. Focus on your Shoulders: Slide your them away from your ears and pretend to pinch a pencil between your Shoulder Blades- just don’t squeeze too hard or you will put tension INTO your neck instead of alleviating the stress.
6. Holding your whole body still, shake your Head ‘yes” and ‘no’. Release the tension in your Head and Neck.
7. Lastly, bring your focus to your Core: place your hands on your belly just below your waistline. With everything properly aligned focusing on where your hands are, pull in your belly. BUT do not interpret this as holding your breath. Activating your core will take the focus to the front of your body and pressure off your spine.

**BE AWARE: following these sitting tips and sitting in this, new way may cause body soreness. AND ALWAYS: consult your health professional before making changes and adjustments to your fitness lifestyle.**

Join the Jōbu Family and carry your summer beach body into the holiday season.

Be FIT, Productive. Be Jōbu.

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