Are you sitting comfortably?

Carol PlumridgeTop tips

Are you sitting comfortably? 

Actually this has got very little to do with sitting! 

This newsletter has been inspired partly by the awesome Lorimer Moseley (pain scientist extraordinaire) who Sam, Mags an I had the privilege of listening to for two days in York last month (we know how to live!). Plus a programme on radio 4 by Oliver Burkeman about convenience, well worth a listen. 
People frequently come in and tell me that their sitting posture is ‘wrong’ it’s one of those ideas that is frequently bandied about as if there is a right or wrong posture.

Lets clear that up now, there isn’t!
The problem is more that we sit too much, work, TV, doom scrolling, driving.

What is more of an issue is convenience, we are getting too comfortable and less likely to make an effort, move out of our comfort zone, push the boundary a little.
I will preface this by saying, for those of us who are north of about 45yrs will remember a life that wasn’t always so streamlined or convenienced. The older you are the more true that is.
Many years ago the weekly wash took all day, two days if you add ironing, now it doesn’t. Plus the physical effort that was involved in the process.

Consider cooking.

If you want to you can call in takeaways or eat ready meals. This has several issues: 1.You have absolutely no connection with the people creating your food 2.No agency over how it is prepared and what it contains. 3. You heat up said meal or put it on a plate, eat it, job done, satisfaction? 
There is little of the anticipation that builds when you plan for, shop and create a meal for yourself and your family. Plus, hopefully a lot of praise for how good it is. We are less patient while waiting for the microwave to ping with a ready meal than waiting for something to come out of the oven. Plus the attendant delicious smells that whet your appetite.


We are getting used to things being ‘easier’ we can Zoom call a friend in Australia, bank/arrange you car insurance from the comfort of your sofa. Then we go outside and meet a traffic jam or the trains are not running and we tend not to be so patient (road rage incidents are rising). This is particularly an issue with the younger generation partly because they have the expectation that things will be seamless because of technology, social media and to a degree helicopter parenting. Increasingly people find it difficult to be patient with ‘real life’. 

What does this have to do with Lorimer Moseley?

He asserts that thrive on effort, pushing the envelope, trying something new. It helps our brain plasticity as we learn new habits. Graded exercise has been shown to be effective in reducing pain. Think about generalised improvement in body strength and flexibility, rather than one muscle of other being functionally weak. This really only happens with damage to nerves, which is fairly rare.

Starting an exercise programme can be painful, but with persistence and care not to over face yourself this will get easier. Making a habit of exercise to a degree relies on you making it as easy and convenient as possible. There is also the satisfaction of achieving goals.

I have just returned from a holiday, swimming in the sea makes me realise I am not very strong. I go with a very strong and fit friend which underlines the issue! I am lucky that I will go away next year with same friend so I have set myself the goal of both strengthening and stretching so it will be less of a problem next year.
I am giving myself plenty of time and am planning on a sensible level of effort so I don’t get too sore in the process. I am looking forward to feeling more physically confident.

Yes it would be much easier and more convenient not to bother but I do love a challenge.

One more thing to throw into the mix, something I have learnt with the coaching, when you trying something new, recognise how you want to feel, rather than using other metrics. Wanting to feel stronger is a perfectly good idea and will give me the impetus to get on with it.