source: nick pro
Modern life is full of conveniences that tempt us into comfort, often at the expense of our overall health. Consider a cozy couch, inviting you into a luscious slumpy posture and out of activity.
Rest is important, but consider how physical space influences us. For long-term happiness, we want to keep our bodies in healthy postures and encourage movement. Here are some simple ways to bring energy and liveliness into your existing space.
Make a work space that allows you to change position. From sitting on the floor, to sitting on a chair, to standing.
source: https://www.standingdesks.ca/
Standing workstations are fairly common these days, allowing people to move from a standing to a sitting position while using their computer. If you’re doing hours of work, several days a week, it’s much more body-friendly than hunching on the couch with a laptop.
Take it a step further, and you have a desk that can be used at any height — from standing, to sitting in a chair, to sitting on the floor. There are versions that are $800 and up, but there are also versatile alternatives that cost about $100. This little desk features several slots that allow it to work as a sitting or standing desk, or as a floor desk:
Have some open space to jump around, dance, wiggle, do jumping jacks, yoga...
If you can, set aside a room in your house or apartment for open space — a versatile place you can use for yoga, dance, aerial, and other ideas as you think of them. If space is at a premium, perhaps a part of your home could be set up to be quickly transformed — a bed that can be rolled up and put in a closet, a couch with felt footings that can easily slide off to the side. Having an active space outside is great, but when it’s inside your home, you’ll be more likely to integrate movement into your day-to-day life .
Make a tray of pebbles to stand on while you do dishes
Anything that stimulates kinesthetic intelligence will be a wonderful addition to your lively home. A tray of river rock will keep you engaged with your environment and make you look forward to doing the dishes.
Try living without so much furniture
Katy Bowman has some interesting posts that describe her journey toward a furniture-free life. A good place to start is with chairs.
Sitting in a chair can be particularly hard on your body, mostly because it can lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Not moving has been shown to lead to a higher probability of developing illnesses.
“The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design,” is a fascinating anthropological look at the history of the chair and how people throughout history move and relax.
The other issue is your muscles. Your body adapts to your sitting situation, and you become really good at it — the muscles required for sitting are strengthened, and the other muscles are weakened.
This can limit your ability to stand and walk, do sports, and possibly use the bathroom — because your digestion works best when you’re upright.
You might put your kitchen chairs in the garage for a week, and see if you can adjust to life without them. Many people find that sitting on cushions around a coffee table is a great replacement. If it works for you, you can then think about getting rid of your couch or lazy boy.
Sitting on the floor — especially in a kneeling or squatting position — can be a healthier alternative to chair sitting, because it engages more muscles.
Katy Bowman says:
“I love furniture as much as I love ice cream. Which is why I'm all over both on vacation. But think of it this way: If you were trying to eat less ice cream would you stuff your freezer with it? Probably not. I want to move my body more, so stuffing my house with ways to move it less makes no sense to me.”
Remember, we’re here for you
It’s great to prevent injuries and pains with an active lifestyle, but sometimes chronic conditions persist or an accident happens that causes a bigger issue that can’t be dealt with through standing desks and daily walks. In that case, seeing a chiropractor or massage therapist can help address deeper issues and set you on course to live a lively life. Make an appointment, or contact us if you have questions.