The 2nd Best Reset For the Sitting Lifestyle

Categories: Blog Mar 20, 2016

Last week we talked about the “TV watching position” as a phenomenal reset for overcoming the sitting lifestyle. It is in this position that we can practice breathing with the diaphragm, strengthening the muscles of our “inner core.” This position requires that we hold our heads up thus strengthening the postural muscles of our backs. And, this position can help open up the hip flexors (relax tight hips), awakening the glutes (butt muscles) so they can do their jobs.

The TV watching position is a powerful reset and tool that can help a person undo the ravages of time spent sitting down in life. But this position also lends itself to another powerful reset - The Frog Roll.

The Frog Roll can not only help you undo the effects of prolonged sitting but it can help you build and strengthen your postural muscles, the muscles of your torso, the ones that support your spine. It is in strengthening these muscles that one can become resilient and less prone to back injuries. In other words, The Frog Roll can fortify your body and help make you very resilient.

One of the major problems of sitting in chairs, or what-have-you, is people really don't “sit” anymore. They more or less just melt, conform, or mold into the object that is holding them up. Most people do not use their muscles when they are being held in seats. They sort of just fill up the space inside the seat, much like water fills up the space inside of a glass. Doing this day in and day out is a great way to atrophy the postural muscles. They are not needed, so they become slow and weak. This is how backs get injured easily. When the postural muscles are slow to respond, or too weak to do their jobs, the spine becomes vulnerable.

But that is just what sitting does to the postural muscles. It also has a degrading effect on the spine itself. The spine is made to move. It can flex forward and to the side, it can extend backwards, it can rotate. Moving keeps the spine and it’s joints healthy. Not moving the spine creates the opportunity for the “use it or lose it” principle to have an impact on the spine. If joints don’t get movement, the body decides maybe it doesn’t need those joints anymore. This can lead to degenerative issues like arthritis. Yes, underuse can damage joints too. All of this to say, not using the spine is not great for the spine. It is made for motion and motion may be what it needs to stay healthy. A lifestyle of sitting, or molding, to chairs can erode the health of the spine, again leading to vulnerability to injury.

This is why the Frog Roll is such a powerful reset; it doesn’t just strengthen the muscles around the spine, but it also beautifully mobilizes the spine in ways that they typical static lifestyle neglects.

The Frog Roll is born from the TV watching position - It builds from it. From the TV watching position, your rotate your head over your right shoulder, as if to look behind you, while you bring your right arm and right leg together. This places your body’s weight on your left forearm and left hip. Then, you extend your right leg allowing the weight and reach of the right leg to pull you into a sitting position. This simple move nourishes the spine with extension, rotation, and lateral flexion. It also gives you the opportunity to use your postural muscles to hold your torso up while you are sitting on the floor. Sitting can actually make you stronger - if you sit with strength…

From the sitting position, you can return to the TV watching position by looking over your left shoulder, as you reach back to lower your body to your left arm, bringing your right arm and right leg back together and then separating them as you rotate back to lying on the floor.

Yes, it is a lot! Here is a video to demonstrate what I am trying to explain:

[embed]https://youtu.be/DlOQpO_qBnc[/embed]

The last great thing I’ll mention about the Frog Roll is that it activates the vestibular system (your balance system) and helps build great head control. This is essential for living a strong and healthy life. If you can get to the place where you can flow in and out of the Frog Roll, and own it, without letting gravity get the best of you, then you can get to the place where you can move through life with strength. You can overcome all the negative effects of countless hours spent sitting in chairs live your life with strength.

Again, the benefits of the Frog Roll are numerous. It takes all the benefits of the TV watching position and builds upon them. These two resets can be combined to make a powerful combination of restoration. I encourage you to them to your daily living routine. Not only will you gain the strength to actually sit in chairs, you will improve your health and resiliency.

It’s simple strength for complicated living….

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