• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
live love fruit logo

Live Love Fruit

Eat Vibrantly. Live Vibrantly

About Start Here Work With Me

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Health
  • Remedies
  • Recipes
  • A-Z Conditions
  • Fitness
  • Environment
  • Self Improvement
  • My LLF
  • Shop
Category: > Fitness > 10 Exercises You Can Do To Reverse Spinal Damage Caused by a Lifetime of Sitting

10 Exercises You Can Do To Reverse Spinal Damage Caused by a Lifetime of Sitting

Nov 14, 2017 Carly Fraser Post contains aAffiliate links Save For Later Print

Last Updated: Oct 30, 2018

918shares
  • Facebook 876
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Sitting chained to your desk for hours at a time can lead to a variety of aches and pains in the body. While there are options to break up sitting, such as taking frequent breaks and investing in a standing desk, these adjustments aren’t enough to undo the damage of sitting.

Excessive sitting leaves your hips and legs tight, and your glutes inactive. It compresses the lower spine, and puts tonnes of stress on our pectoral muscles and trapezius muscle. Not only do our muscles experience strain, but sitting for long periods of time over the course of years is bad for your brain and heart, too. We weren’t meant to sit this much – just look at how our ancestors moved about!

Even if you exercise regularly, sitting for long periods significantly shortens life expectancy (1).

Desk Job Dangers

Those who work desk jobs suffer from a lot of pain due to poor posture and lack of movement – both of which lead to constricted, tight muscles.

You can help your body out by remaining aware of your posture while sitting and standing. If you experience pain and stiffness, it is likely the chair you’re using. If you can invest in a good ergonomic chair that fits your body, it’ll help you sit properly, and therefore eliminate strain on your muscles, bones and ligaments.

If you slouch, cross your legs, or keep your arms too high or low, your sitting position will be negatively affected. As we get older, and get used to sitting in positions that are modified by poorly designed furniture, we often resort to slouching, because it is the most comfortable way to sit.

The video below illustrates how we’ve essentially forgotten to sit.

Best Exercises to Avoid Spinal Damage Caused by Sitting

Your whole body will feel better after performing these exercises and stretches. They will target all areas of the body that are affected from a lifetime of sitting – the neck, shoulder, chest, back, and hips.

Be sure to walk around every 20-30 minutes, too. This will help not only your back, but it will give your eyes a break, too. Whatever your position, be sure to change it often. Any move is a good one.

1. Table Pigeon Pose

1. Start by placing your leg on a tabletop or bed edge, with the knee bent at 90 degrees.
2. Place one hand on the table and one hand on your foot for support.
3. Lean forward and hold for 60-90 seconds, then lean a little to the left and hold for 60-90 seconds.
4. Lastly, lean a little to the right and hold for 60-90 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other leg.

2. Grok Squat

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly squat down as low as you can go.
2. Hold the position for as long as you like, then stand up slowly.

3. Glute Bridges

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Raise your buttocks and hips so that your body forms a straight line, squeezing your glutes to push you up.
3. Do 3 sets of 10.

4. Couch Stretch

1. Place one foot flat on the floor and the opposite knee on the couch where the seat and back meet so that your shin and foot are up on the back of the couch.
2. Flex your abdominal muscles and glutes and slowly raise your torso up so that you are standing straight and tall.
3. Hold the position for 5 minutes, and then switch legs.

Once you have got this exercise down pat, you can add more to the exercise by placing your foot at the edge of the couch’s seat instead of the floor. Your back and abs will have to work harder to maintain balance and posture, which can help reverse “desk slouch” from work.

5. Cat and Cow

1. Start with your hands and knees on the floor, palms directly under the shoulder rand knees directly below the hips.
2. Breathe in and pull your abdominal muscles in as you arch your back up like a stretching cat. Let your head and tailbone drop down toward the floor.
3. Return to the initial position, and then extend the upper part of the spine upwards, supporting it with your abdominal muscles and not letting your neck sink into your shoulders, or your shoulders crunch up into your neck. Make sure your neck is a long extension of your spine, and don’t let the head fall back.
4. Return to starting position and repeat 5 times.

6. Leg Swings

1. Place one hand on the back of a chair or something sturdy for support. Swing one leg forward, as far as it will go, bring it back down past the stationary foot, and continue the swing back as far as it will go.
2. Repeat 20 times, and then switch legs.
3. Switch legs again. Swing it out to the side as far as it will go. Bring it down and in front of your body to cross to the other side.
4. Repeat 20 times, and then switch legs. Make sure you keep your foot flexed throughout the exercise.

7. Thoracic Extension

1. Lay a foam roller on the ground horizontally and lay down on your back so that the foam roller is perpendicular to your spine, or going across your shoulders.
2. Lift your glutes off the floor, and use your heels to move you back and forth.
3. Keep rolling until you hit a point of discomfort, and once you do, hold on that spot for 20-30 seconds.

8. Chin Tuck Exercise (Neck Retraction)

1. Start by sitting with a neutral posture, and proceed by pulling your head backward, almost by making a double chin.
2. You can guide the movement by keeping your fingers in front of your chin.
3. Be sure to keep your eyes level.
4. Hold the stretch for 1-2 seconds, and relax. Repeat 10-20 times.

9. Fire Hydrants

1. Start on all fours and raise your bent leg out to the side to the height of your hip. Lift from the hip and maintain a bent knee without turning your torso.
2. Lower your leg back to starting position.
3. Repeat 10-20 times on each side.

10. Doorway Stretch

1. Stand inside a doorway and bend your right arm at a 90 degree angle, and place your forearm against the doorframe.
2. Position the bent elbow at about shoulder height. Alternatively, you can just grab the doorframe with your hand as shown in the picture above.
3. Rotate your chest to the left until you feel a nice stretch in the chest and front shoulder.
4. Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat with the opposite arm.

This post contains affiliate links

918shares
  • Facebook 876
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Fitness, Yoga & Stretching Tagged With: back pain, desk job stretches, exercises, neck pain, sitting, stretch

Carly Fraser

About the Author

Carly Fraser has her BSc (Hons.) Degree in Neuroscience, and is the owner and founder at Live Love Fruit. She currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a determined life mission to help inspire and motivate individuals to critically think about what they put in their bodies and to find balance through nutrition and lifestyle. She has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals to re-connect with their bodies and learn self-love through proper eating habits and natural living. She loves to do yoga, dance, and immerse herself in nature.

View Profile

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

  • 5 Simple Exercises To Combat Sitting Damage
  • Reverse Hypothyroidism Naturally With This Banana Date Smoothie!
  • Reverse Atherosclerosis and Fight Cancer with Strawberry Pomegranate Juice
  • Health Dangers of Sitting Too Long
    11 Health Dangers of Sitting Too Long, and How It's Slowly Crippling Your Body
  • How to Treat Acne Caused by Constipation
  • 6 Benefits Of Reverse Osmosis And Why To Avoid Unfiltered Tap Water
  • Try This Beet Smoothie To Boost Your Blood Count and Reverse Anemia!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Free Ebook

Success! Please check your inbox to download your FREE eBook.

Reduce Chronic Inflammation Naturally!

The Ultimate Guide to Fight Inflammation and Restore Your Health!

21 Ways to Reduce Chronic Inflammation

Recent Posts

resistance band glute workout set of 4 illustrated exercises

The Best Resistance Band Glute Workout

diagram of different plant foods rich in zinc

24 Zinc-Rich Plant Foods to Boost Immunity and Fight Disease

Close up of female hand with yellow protective gloves cleaning oven

How to Make the Best Homemade Oven Cleaner

demonstration of how to squat

How to Fix Your Squat to Make Life Easier

Popular Posts

Man spraying pesticides on tea plants with other side of image showing dry loose tea bags

Pesticides in Tea: Is Your Favorite Tea Contaminated with Harmful Chemicals?

glyphosate in wine

Monsanto’s Harmful Chemical Glyphosate Found In 100% Of California Wines Tested

whole dandelion plant with flowers and roots on cutting board on a table

Dandelions Are Not Weeds! Top 10 Health Benefits of Dandelion

johnson & johnson baby products in pharmacy

Johnson & Johnson Finally Admits: Our Baby Products Contain Cancer-Causing Ingredients

10 Plants That Attract Dragonflies for Mosquito Control

companion planting chart

Use This Companion Planting Chart to Help Your Garden Thrive

France Bans Neonicotinoid Pesticides

France Bans All Five Neonicotinoid Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths

Glyphosate in Food: Complete List of Products and Brands Filled with Dangerous Weed-Killer

whales dying from plastic pollution

Whales Dying From Plastic Pollution Are a Grave Reminder to Give Up Our Addiction to Plastics

illustrated piriformis muscle showing trigger points and radiating pain

How To Get A Deep Piriformis Stretch To Get Rid of Sciatica, Hip & Lower Back Pain

Recommended

Thank you! Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription!

Want to reduce inflammation and restore your health?

Join Live Love Fruit and we'll show you how!

Footer

Stay Connected!

Follows
  • 312.8k Followers
  • 1.9k Followers
  • 60.3k Followers
  • 417 Followers
  • 10.8k Followers
  • Home
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Write For LLF
  • Contact

Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
Content on Live Love Fruit may not be reproduced in any form.
Ads provided by AdThrive. Displayed ads do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Live Love Fruit.

Copyright © 2012 - 2021 Live Love FruitPrivacy Policy | Terms of Service | Full Disclaimer | Affiliate Disclosure

918shares
  • 876