Do you have a job where you have to sit almost all day? Well, this simple act has a lot effect on your butt. You would notice that when you get up every now and then, maybe you notice your tush is a little sore and your hip flexors a little tight. This is as a result of sitting for too long.
While all that excess typing and minimal moving may be good for your career, it’s not all that great for your butt. It would not just affect your butt but other parts of your body.
These are what happens to your butt when you sit for long.
1. Your Butt Stops Working
When you sit for very long hours, your gluteus (muscles in your buttocks) which are regarded as the strongest muscles in the human body shuts down. Since your gluteus impacts your hip movement, pelvis rotation, and pelvic stability, which makes it hard to move your hips for some minutes after getting up. What’s bad for your butt is actually bad for your entire body.
2.Causes Back Pain
When you sit for long periods of time, especially with poor posture, your hip flexors tighten up and prevent activation of the gluteus. When this happens, your pelvis can’t rotate forward, causing compression in the lower back which can lead to back pain.
Over time, if it goes unchecked, this can lead to chronic pain. Of course, you’re not likely to experience any negative effects after a few weeks or months of sitting for most of the day. But after a while, it does start to add up.
3.Causes Pain In Other Part Of The Body
If hips or gluteus aren’t working properly, it can increase impact force all the way to the knees and ankles. When the big muscle (the butt) isn’t pulling its weight, the pressure and force relocate to these weaker spots. This will cause pains in your hips, back, and ankles.
4.Makes Butt Workout Routines Less Effective
Inhibited gluteus muscles won’t fire properly, and over time, if they’re not activating regularly, they’ll get weaker. This is called muscle atrophy and can undo any hard work you’ve done to build a strong, sturdy behind.
The squats will become harder, in the sense that you lack the strength and/or mobility to perform given moves with good form, especially as you get further along in your workout and need to push yourself harder to keep going.
What You Can Do About It?
Change your posture while sitting by adjusting your chair so your hips are slightly above your knees, feet resting flat on the floor. Make sure your lower back is supported, either by a sturdy chair back, or a pillow. Keep your shoulders relaxed, but upright, and head directly over the shoulders.
Your computer screen should be eye level or slightly below if it’s too low, your head will bend forward. Your elbows should be about table height, and make sure you’re close enough to your desk that you’re not reaching for the keyboard. If you find that you start out with decent posture but start to droop and fold as the day goes on, build some breaks into your day to walk around and reset yourself.
A regular workout can also counter the effect sitting for too long. As long as you’re activating those glutes outside of your day job, you don’t really need to worry.
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