Charles Teves
Slouching and too much sitting can cause a lot of problems.
Physical therapist Abby Bales, D.P.T., C.S.C.S from Spear Physical Therapy in New York City says that too much sitting can make anybody’s butt flat.
Bales said that the muscles around the butt are one of the hardest to work on and develop.
“Office ass is a colloquial term for a culmination of several things. People have a difficult time actively engaging their glutes to [both] strengthen and shape them.”
Too much sitting can literally make your butt look flat.
“The more you sit, the more you have the chance of developing a flat booty.”
Bales suggested that standing up is one way to avoid flattening the butt.
“So the first line of defense is to stand up more.”
To those people who have desk jobs, it is recommended that you get a standing desk or go for a five-minute walk every hour of working.
Bales added that standing is also good for your hips which activates the glutes muscles and can make working out a lot easier.
“Standing instead of sitting increases hip extension, and walking around improves flexion.”
The number one workout to do is squatting, which is done mainly to activate those muscles.
“Squats are the gold-standard exercise for glute activation.”
Squats can make your glutes bigger, which is what most people want to have.
“[They] promote muscular hypertrophy—increase size—and will add to backside over time.”
Other than squats, lunges. It also does great things as it relates to glutes activation.
People shouldn’t expect results right away since the ability to build muscles differ from one person to the other.
“Each person responds to exercise differently, so give it time before you see your body filling out those apple-bottom jeans.”
Sitting too much not only affects one’s butt but the entire body as well. Sitting can really lower muscle mass and promotes bad posture in people.
Sitting decreases blood flow and muscle mass, and puts the body in a poor postural position.
People who sit a lot are prone to obesity, hypertension, low back and neck pain, and poor vital organ function. These people also have a higher risk of getting strokes, heart attacks, disc herniation, and depression.
“The end result? A person who sits more is more likely to sit more because it hurts to stand and move. It’s a downward spiral,” Bales pointed.
Slouching is also not good since it promotes asymmetry in the entire body by creating an imbalanced pelvis.
“Sitting increases a posterior pelvic tilt, putting the back musculature and ligamentous structures around the spine on stretch, creating instability,”
Slouching also adds extra pressure to the lungs.
“Think about it: If you’re slouched forward, your lungs are getting smushed and have to work extra hard to expand,”
Good posture is important.
“Sit tall, and consider placing a small towel or firm cushion under the back half of your chair,”
Walking is a very good exercise to negate the effects of excessive sitting.
“Consider walking to and from work instead of driving or taking the subway.”
Doing strength training and cardio 4 times a week will do just fine.
“The best medicine is exercise, however, you can get it.”
