The human body is not built to sit in chairs. It is built to squat.
Recently, I wrote about 3 ways to sit on the floor instead of sitting in a chair. This week, I will describe the resting squat. Which is another great alternative for elevated (chair) sitting.
For most of us, resting is synonymous with sitting in a chair. Even those of us who practice yoga or go to the gym or run or walk, usually rest in chairs.
But the human body is not built to sit in chairs. It is built to squat. .
In the West, people stopped squatting regularly in the mid-1800s. When elevated flush toilets became popular. The “Sitting Disease” began and grew from there.
Critical muscles turn off when we sit in chairs too much.
Why did we give up squatting? We decided that chair sitting was more comfortable, more convenient, and more “modern.” We were not aware of the damage we were causing to our bodies.
We didn’t know that sitting in chairs is bad for our health. Critical muscles turn off. Every joint in the body needs to move through its full range of motion to stay healthy. When we are sitting in a chair, the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees. As a result, our joints start to degenerate. It becomes harder to move.
Sitting in a chair makes us more susceptible to a variety of health issues. Including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. It is hard on our posture and our spine. It causes lower back pain.
Many people across the globe still squat on a daily basis. We can learn from our Asian brothers and sisters, where it is still common to sit in a resting squat.
The resting squatting is so uncomfortable because we don’t do it.
Why is the resting squat so hard to do? It’s simple. The resting squatting is so uncomfortable because we don’t do it.
Yes, we have forgotten how to squat. But it’s still in our DNA. And we can get it back with awareness and practice. Practice squatting anywhere anytime. When you are your phone, waiting for the bus, at the beach, wanting to rest anywhere, etc.
Here are the steps for a basic resting squat.
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RESTING SQUAT
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Summing Up:
We are born to squat. We are not born to rest in chairs. Start to squat at least 30 minutes a day. Whenever you get tired of standing or sitting, squat. You will reverse the negative effects of sitting too much.