Why We Sit

I’ve met a lot of people who blamed their jobs for why they sit a lot. I know what they mean, but it still makes me smile sometimes. What I want to suggest is for them to check their employment contracts. I bet they won’t find a clause requiring them to sit while working. Believe it or not, in most cases, it is your own choice.

Even if you attend school, you are not required to sit in the classroom. Sitting is just more convenient when you have to write, read, draw, or type, but why is that? You are about to find out.

Sitting saves energy

Have you noticed that it’s hard to stand for long? We tend to sit down or lean against a wall whenever we have a chance. Perhaps it’s one of the mechanisms built into our bodies to allow us to save energy, which is “oh, so valuable” for living in the wild. These days, we have more food available to us than we would normally need to consume, so we can spare a few extra calories to move more. Yet, our genetically programmed habit still rules us. Whenever our mind recognizes a pleasing stimulus dictated by our experience with sitting, it will suggest you to take a seat. If you “refuse,” well, it will “beg” you, winning in many cases. So, don’t blame yourself for wanting to sit down when you are waiting in a lobby for an appointment or when you are on a bus.

But standing is better for…

The recent popularity of standing desks has led many people to believe that standing is somewhat superior to sitting. Quite often, desk manufacturers will exaggerate facts, providing self-produced evidence in support of various health-related claims. The truth of the matter is that prolonged standing is probably no better than prolonged sitting – if not worse. 

For example, the claim that a standing desk will help you regulate your weight by burning more calories is one of those fact-stretching claims. A minute increase in the number of calories burnt while standing versus sitting is probably not worth the cost of torturing your body with full days of standing. If you are struggling with weight issues, perhaps a dietary adjustment would be a more effective strategy for you.

I dedicate a collection of articles to the subject of standing at a desk, but, to provide you with a better understanding of why standing is no “sugar-free” substitute for sitting, I’ll give you a brief example.

As I mentioned earlier, our bodies are quite proficient when it comes to laziness. So, sometimes, when there’s no alternative but to stand, it employs a trick I call “body hanging.”

In cases of prolonged standing, one may notice that it’s easier to stand while locking the knees (hyperextending the knee joints) and shifting the body’s weight forward. The extra strain imposed on muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints, however, may produce problems in the long run. One may consequently experience muscle and tissue tightness, limited range of motion, and joint aches. In addition, to keep your upper body upright, with your knees locked to keep you from tipping forward, your lower back will have to arch quite abnormally. Maintain this position for a while and your back muscles will get tight. As a result, you may experience some well-familiar lower back pain.

Other instances of your body trying to be lazy include shifting your weight to one of your hips or leaning on your hands while “hanging” the weight of your upper body on your shoulder joints. Turning this into a habit may result in chronic postural deviations, various muscle imbalances, movement dysfunctions, and development of compensation patterns, as well as accumulation of trigger points and aches.

But let’s get back to the subject of sitting. After all, that’s what we need to be talking about here.

Sitting May Improve Productivity and Comprehension

Comparing sitting to standing without any context isn’t really worthwhile. Chopping wood is easier when you stand. Swinging a bat or digging with a shovel would both be much more difficult while sitting. How about office work?

It’s one thing if you get paid for simply sitting or standing. But, if you have to read, type, write, or draft, that’s a totally different matter. Do we really need to sit in order to do our office work? Will we be more productive? Will we study better if we sit? Let’s see.

You probably know from your own experience that, when you are tired, it’s hard to pay attention or absorb information. And, as we said, standing is more energy demanding, potentially exposing you to certain aggravating elements, like muscle fatigue and tiredness. This is especially true if your posture is compromised. So, when we need to concentrate, we tend to sit down. There’s yet another reason, however, why sitting may be a preferable position for reading or anything else where we rely on our eyesight.

Leaning against something or sitting down gives your body another point of contact, relieving your eyes of their duty to assist with balancing. Therefore, many people will find it easier to concentrate and absorb information when they are sitting. One can alternatively place his or her hands on a stationary object for additional support while doing something like reading.

Furthermore, if your task involves a great deal of eye focus and steady hands – such as watch or jewelry making – you may greatly benefit from sitting down. 

Now, you must not fool yourself. Prolonged sitting has its own dangers that we will discuss in the next article, “What Happens When We Sit.” 

It is helpful to start differentiating tasks that may benefit from the use of a chair versus those that don’t require you to sit. An example would be talking on the phone with a client. While talking to somebody on the phone, you could be walking down a hallway, doing lunges, or performing light stretching. From my experience and extensive experimentation, I’ve concluded that the best scenario for people who work or study at a desk would be to involve the practice of intermittent sitting, mixed with periodic standing and light exercising. This practice can help you alleviate many issues associated with your sedentary habits. If done methodically, it won’t cut into your work time, and will improve productivity, whether you are at work or studying for school.