We live in the sedentary age: Almost 19 percent of Swiss people spend more than 8.5 hours a day sitting — in the car or bus, at a desk or on the couch. It is normal for us, but not for our skeleton and muscles. The best way to prevent symptoms is exercise. Holmes Places studios have special offers.
Our goal is to help you get healthier and fitter. Would you like more strength to prevent back pain? Then attend one of the “Mind & Body” courses in our studios. The spectrum ranges from yoga to Feldenkrais to Pilates, and completely new sports are constantly being added. Many are ideal for strengthening abdominal and core muscles.
What actually makes sitting for long periods of time so unhealthy? In this position, the upper body and thigh form a 90-degree angle. It's the same with thighs and lower legs. This is not a problem for a short period of time, but when you sit for longer periods of time, your skeleton and muscles suffer. This is because the muscles are strained on one side — some too much, the others not at all. This can cause posture problems and pain.
Sitting for a long time “shortens” some muscles. This applies, for example, to the lumbar iliac muscle (iliopsoas muscle) known as the hip flexor, which ensures that the hip joints remain flexible. Although “the” hip flexor is not quite right — it involves several muscles. The largest is the large lumbar muscle, which runs from the twelfth thoracic vertebra and the first four lumbar vertebrae and through the pelvis to the femur.
Prolonged sitting shortens the hip flexor, and stress also causes tension. The consequences: pain in the back, neck and/or hip and even herniated intervertebral discs.
But sitting for a long time causes even more: The gluteal muscles, which are responsible for pelvic stability and rotation and hip movements, relax. This too can cause pain because the posture changes.
There is a simple exercise that can help you determine whether your hip flexor is shortened: Lie on the floor, put one leg on, embrace the knee and pull it as far as you can to your chest — keeping your shoulders on the ground. If you manage to keep the extended leg on the ground, then everything is fine with your hip flexors.
In order to avoid future problems, it is definitely worthwhile to take preventive action for the muscles that suffer from sitting. There are many exercises (for example HERE).
In our premium fitness studios, we offer over 75 courses, many of which are ideal for abdominal and back muscles. Pilates, for example, which is not only a lot of fun but also a very effective muscle workout. You can also take group courses such as”Rückenfit“Book — it is an abdominal and back workout that prevents back pain.
One focus of our offer is the “Mind & Body” courses from Yoga to Feldenkrais, which also enable you to strengthen many muscle areas. Or try out Antigravity Fitness, which combines aerial yoga with fitness exercises: You work with special towels that are somewhat reminiscent of hammocks and in which you can “hang out” in the truest sense of the word. This relieves the spine and trains abdominal and core muscles.
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