The Best Posture & Movement Tips For Folks Who Sit All Day — From Folks Who Used To Sit All Day

Like many folks with an office job that involves most of my day in front of a screen, I sit a lot. I know I'm not the only one, as surveys indicate that Americans sit for upward of 9.5 hours a day1—an absolutely startling number of hours that I find myself unfortunately relating to.

Recently, occupational therapist and health writer Lis Bahr, OTD, M.S., wrote a story for us about how sitting impacts back pain and small ways to keep moving throughout the day. 

"At this point, you've likely come across the phrase 'sitting is the new smoking'—and there's some truth to it," she wrote in the article. "The CDC2 reports that living a sedentary lifestyle (as 28% of adults over 50 do3) increases one's risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes. In contrast, those who sit less report fewer chronic diseases, better mood and sleep quality, and enhanced daily functioning."

I found it very helpful and shared it in a recent send of mindbodygreen's thrice-weekly newsletter The Long Game (sign up for the The Long Game here so you can stay up to date on all the latest longevity and health information.) In return, we got several responses from readers about what they do to help offset the negative effects associated with prolonged sitting. 

The best way to stick to a good habit is consistency: "My favorite posture tip is to set the timer on my phone for 1 hour and when it goes off, stand up for 2 minutes and perform the following head-to-toe routine for 5 repetitions each," wrote physical therapist and certified personal trainer Erin E Hughes, P.T., LMT, NSCA-CPT. 

A few readers noted that they've crafted "rules" for themselves about standing time versus sitting time that flows with their work schedule. For example, "I have a standing desk and only sit when I'm on a Teams meeting," wrote reader Monica T. 

Licensed psychologist Maria Lauralynn Noblejas, Ph.D., noted she's also a fan of using her standing desk—which she utilizes between clients: "I bought a standing desk! I am a psychologist and I see 8-9 clients back to back Monday through Friday. At least for about 3-5 minutes between each client's session I am standing," she wrote in. 

Several mbg staffers have become huge fans of walking pads—including commerce editor Carliegh Ferrante, who wrote about her favorite option here.

It's up for debate about exactly how many steps you need to hit each day to get the associated health benefits. At mbg we mostly aim for the 7K threshold, but many staffers set theirs a bit higher (including 10K and 20K!).

Even if you're seatbound, movement is possible.