Don't just sit, practice active sitting! With people spending most on the time on their chairs – be it in the office, home, or coffee houses, inactive sitting has now become the new smoking whereas, active sitting helps in improving overall health.
Most people work in office settings that require prolonged sitting, which makes it important to incorporate active sitting furniture so that they don’t harm their health over time. Many researches have also proven that static sitting can lead to many health problems, such as pinched nerves, poor blood circulation, spinal deformities, and weak postural muscles, etc. The human body is designed to stay active but our modern lifestyle doesn’t go with it. Static sitting keeps your body motionless which is why your body starts hurting after sitting for too long.
To counter this problem, we all need to engage in a smarter & healthier way to sit. And, that where “Active Sitting” comes into the picture. By incorporating active sitting, you can keep your body’s muscle group active & reduce all the risk associated with static sitting.
What is active sitting?
Well, before discussing why active sitting is considered as healthy sitting, it is important to thoroughly understand the notion of active sitting.
As the name suggests, Active sitting allows the body to remain in motion while seated. It is also known as dynamic sitting as it supports our body’s need for movement. Unlike traditional sitting options that lock our body in just one position, the active sitting encourages minor movements to keep your muscle group active.
Active sitting is designed in a way to add movement & engage the muscles in your back & leg. With most people involved in desk jobs, the concept of active sitting is gaining recognition day by day. Sitting on an active chair can really make a difference as it helps the body to be in its natural state. With active sitting, you can combat your long working day without deteriorating your health. A sedentary lifestyle can slow down your body over time and can also result in many health issues. With a traditional chair, you can’t move your body much so switching to the active sitting option is a wise decision that can keep your body in a fit and free of health issues.
Why active sitting is essential?
To cope up with today’s modern lifestyle, active/dynamic sitting options are no longer just an option mainly because active sitting promotes our body’s need for movements. When we sit for prolonged hours without taking any break then our body becomes stiff & starts losing its strength contributing to various musculoskeletal issues. Even if you exercise regularly, still you can’t completely make up for the damage you are done to the body by static sitting for prolonged hours.
The best way to keep your body healthy even while sitting is by adding movement which is possible through active sitting. By using active sitting options, you can engage all your muscles keeping them active & strong.
Why active sitting is healthy sitting?
Active sitting, undoubtedly, promotes a smarter & healthier way to sit. It helps in promoting movement in the body & also improves posture, circulation, and flow. Let’s look at some of the benefits associated with active sitting.
#1. Improves core strength
So the first advantage of using active sitting is that it can help in improving your core strength. When you sit for long hours in a static position then you start losing your core strength. Chairs with active sitting options help to keep your core well-engaged even when you are seated for hours. In a traditional chair, you can only engage your core when you sit up straight without taking any back support which is not possible when you are working for long hours.
#2. Improves posture
The next benefit associated with active sitting is that it helps in improving postures. Poor postures not only ruin the body shape but also put more stress on the back & core muscles. Many people slouch forward while working at the desk which is why they experience severe neck & back pain after the end of the day. Bad posture can even make your body get fatigued quickly. By using active sitting, you can easily maintain a good posture & can keep your body in better form.
#3. Improves blood circulation
Active sitting can also help in improving blood circulation in your body. It promotes movement in the body which forces the blood flow circulation throughout the body. When we sit for too long in a motionless position then the blood doesn’t flow properly, resulting in poor circulation. Poor blood circulation can result in causing cardiovascular diseases that’s why is it suggested to use active chairs for prolonged sitting.
#4. Burn calories
Well, you may not burn as much calories as you burn after a workout, however, you can definitely burn a few calories by using an active chair. Burning even a few calories can also indicate your body that your metabolism is working, which eventually will help in improving your energy level.
#5. Encourages movement
Active sitting is known as healthy sitting mainly because it encourages movement in the body. Our body requires some movement here and there to stay balanced throughout the day. With active chairs, you can adjust the height of sitting and stretch your back & legs, etc. which helps in rejuvenating both your mind & body.
Best active sitting options
Are you looking for good active sitting furniture that can provide all these benefits to you?
Both Sprang stool 2.0 and Sprang chair 2.0 can facilitate movement from front to back and side to side which helps in keeping your body well-balanced & comfortable all day long. By using these active sitting options in your workspace, you can keep your body engaged & your mind concentrated.
Final Thoughts
To sum this up, we can say that, by incorporating active sitting in your seating arrangements, you can bring a big difference in your health because active sitting is a healthy sitting.
]]>Sitting all day long without any break can contribute to the risk of chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Here’s an infographic showing why sitting too much is bad for your health.
]]>Does your back hurt sitting in your office chair for long hours? Well, our sedentary lifestyle doesn’t go well with our backs, that is why most working individuals complain about having moderate to severe back pain. Your office chair may look well-cushioned, but may not necessarily provide the support that your back requires.
People, on average, spend around 10-11 hours sitting in a static position on their office chair- be it plowing through emails, making business strategies or writing proposals, etc. Sitting for prolonged hours on a chair can lead to stiffness and tension in your back, resulting in excessive pain. Our body is designed to be active, but the modern lifestyle has made us sit all day in front of computers.
Many studies have proved that there is a growing relationship between the prolonged hours of sitting on the chair and lower back pain, that is why all the health experts advise using active-sitting chairs in the office. Sitting on a poorly designed chair for prolonged hours without any break can be bad for your back. Additionally, the slouched sitting position can also contribute to more pain in the lower back. Too much sitting at your office desk may help you pay all your bills, but it may drain your back health in the future.
The trouble with office chairs
Working straight for 10-12 hours sitting on your office chair every day can make you suffer from the sitting disease. Sitting disease or a sedentary lifestyle can make your back stiff, sore, and in pain. Spending half your day on a chair that too in a bad posture can put a lot of pressure on your spine’s disc, and can also develop chronic back pain.
Our lifestyle may have evolved over the years, but the human body has not evolved to sit for prolonged hours in a static position. Bad office chairs can also increase the risks of musculoskeletal disorder that’s why it is important to use a good office chair that can maximize back support & help you maintain a good sitting posture.
The common reasons why your office chair causes back pain are:
If your office chair is hurting your back then you should ask yourself - that does it have any lumbar support? Does it support height adjustments?
Well, if your answer is no, then there is no surprise that you are suffering from back pain. Ignorance may be bliss but when it comes to back pain, ignorance can ruin your back health.
So, why do we need lumbar support & height adjustment feature in an office chair?
Lumbar support is an important feature that ensures that the disc in your lower back is well-supported. In the seated position, our lumbosacral disc bears three times more load than in the standing position so, it is important to sit on a chair that can help to take the pressure off the spine.
The height adjustment feature is equally important as it helps in maintaining an ideal sitting position. Bad sitting posture can also affect the position of the pelvis and the lower back, leading to back pain. So, it is important to use a chair that can adjust according to your body.
The next problem is the way we sit for prolonged hours as sitting while slouching forward or leaning you back can also result in causing back pain. Office chairs that are not well-made can lead to poor postures. Sitting all day long in a bad posture can increase the muscle tension in your back leading to pain.
How to reduce your back pain woes?
Sitting without any break not only worsen your back pain but also impact your productivity level, here are a few tips that you can incorporate to reduce your back pain woes.
How your ideal office chair should look like?
If you spend most of your waking hours in the office on a chair then it is important to choose the right office chair.
Now you must be wondering, what is considered as an ideal office chair?
Instead of using a traditional chair, you should use an active sitting chair to add movement in your body even while sitting. Static sitting for long hours can make your back muscles stiff resulting in chronic pain.
Sprang Chair 2.0 is the best office chair for back pain as it offers active sitting to make your working hours more comfortable. Its sculpted seat and foam backrest can help you get rid of your chronic back pain. As we mentioned earlier, proper support & movement are the key factors that your chair should have, and the sprang chair 2.0 is incorporated using the principles of resistance-therapy bands that make it the best ergonomic office chair.
This chair is designed using a modern approach to facilitate movement from front to back & side to side. By using it, you can definitely provide your back with needed support & can also maintain a good posture all day long. It is designed to keep your body well-balanced so that you don’t lean on one side or slouch forward.
Sprang chair 2.0 is undoubtedly the best chair for the back as it not only eases the back muscles but also encourages your body to maintain a proper balance.
Final Thoughts
Wrapping it up, we can say that, using an active sitting office chair is the best way to bid adieu to all your back pain woes so, don’t forget to take a look at our active sitting chair collection.
]]>You’re sitting?!
What, are you nuts?
Why not smoke a cigarette while you’re at it!
Don’t sit, stand. Don’t stand, you’ll get cankles (I have no idea what that is but it sounds bad!). Sit on an enormous exercise ball, really, you don’t look like an idiot, plus it makes your butt look small by comparison. Better yet, put a treadmill under your desk. Or sit AND stand. Or sit-n-spin! (are you old enough to remember those?) Or try bike pedals under your desk (hope you don’t have long legs) Or build yourself a giant hamster wheel. Confused yet?
Okay, let’s take a deep breath and calm down. Don’t panic. It’s actually okay to sit. The latest studies indicate a combination of fidgeting, active sitting preferably in a way that encourages active muscle engagement, with breaks, stretching, moving, and ideally incorporating a sit-to-stand adjustable desk.
“Sitting is not bad for you, it’s sitting still.” Gretchen Reynolds, The New York Times
Ms. Reynolds is the first to admit her confusion, having been reporting on sitting for several years now:
“… common and persistent misconception(s) about the dangers of sitting, for which I may be partly to blame, since I have so frequently written about those dangers. (See here and here and here.)
But while prolonged sitting is known to increase the risks for conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and premature death, the actual culprit behind the risks, scientists believe, is not the posture of sitting, but the immobility of your muscles when you are in that position. They aren’t contracting, and muscular contractions are important for health. Working muscles fuel themselves with blood sugar, aiding blood sugar control. They also stimulate the release of various biochemicals that improve cholesterol profiles and metabolic health.
So sitting itself is not bad; it’s sitting still.
… Even fidgeting can help, according to a fascinating new study, which found that women who fidgeted all the time, including while seated, generally lived longer than non-fidgeters, even if they sat the same number of hours most days.”
Perhaps overstating the benefits, Tom Whipple, the Science editor of The Times (UK, not NY) proclaims
“Fidgeting could save your life. A study has suggested that having a sedentary job need not be disastrous for your health, provided you are also one of those people who continually jiggle your leg and shuffle in your seat.”
As Walter M. Bortz II, M.D.Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University reports in the Huffington Post:
“…sitting itself might not be the issue, but rather what you do when you are sitting. If you are limp and languid then maybe you are at risk of disuse and its deficits. However, if you are a toe tapper or squirmer you are relieved of another risk factor…Keep fidgeting, the calories that you spend may be a health benefit.”
As Gretchen Reynolds reports in another recent New York Times PhysEd Column,
forcing yourself to stand up at work may not offer as many benefits as previously thought.
Especially not in the way of increased energy expenditure (aka: calories burnt):
Summarizing an experiment featured in this month’s Journal of Physical Activity and Health that tested whether standing goads our metabolisms to speed up more than sitting, Reynolds writes:
While standing for 15 minutes, the volunteers burned about 2 additional calories compared to when they sat down It didn’t matter whether they stood up and then sat down or sat down and then stood up. The total caloric expenditure was about the same and was not sizable.
And in fact, standing all day comes with problems that may outweigh the benefits. As Alan Hedge, a professor in the Department of Design and Environment Analysis at Cornell University, told US News & World Report in 2015,
“too much [standing] can compress the spine and lead to lower back problems over time. It can also boost your risk for carotid arteries, varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis and other cardiovascular problems since the heart has to work against gravity to keep blood flowing up from your toes.”
As Katherine Schreiber reports in Psychology Today: “Your better bet, Hedge (and others) have suggested, is to shift between sitting and standing at multiple points throughout the day.”
Why I’m glad you asked! It just so happens, I’ve been working on this problem for a few years now, and I’m proud to report, I think I’ve pretty much found the
“holy grail” — a chair that adapts to you, not only encourages good posture but active movement, muscle contraction and blood flow; it’s comfortable, it’s kind of a ball chair, but kind of a huge leap forward too.
I call it the Språng Chair, and I’m so excited about it that I’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to get some into production.
Early enthusiasm for the chair’s design concept has been expressed by Cornell University Professor Alan Hedge of the university’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory. After viewing the video of the chair’s manufacture and use, Dr. Hedge wrote,
“I think your chair design concept addresses many benefits….rethinking the back support design concept is a big plus.” Further, Dr. Hedge has invited me and the chair to be studied by his graduate class this fall (actually, I’m pretty sure just the chair is going to be studied).
Dr. Scott Schreiber of the Delaware Back Pain and Sports Rehabilitation Center has commented:
]]>“I love this idea! It appears to be great for the back, regarding alignment, activates the core muscles and is adjustable for nearly every body type. This is a great piece of equipment for the office employee or person working from home. From an aesthetic perspective, it looks great. I can’t wait to try it out! www.drscottschreiber.com
We got a nice mention on gadgetify -- http://www.gadgetify.com/sprang-chair/
Very validating and exciting to start hearing from complete strangers interested in the Språng Chair!
Very humbling to hear from people with medical conditions hoping the Språng Chair might offer relief. I hope so too!
And truly delightful to reconnect with old old dear friends and to see how a simple few kind words from a friend on Facebook generate so much genuine support and interest.
Also a bit distressing to realize that, unless I give up on sleep, keeping up this level of communication is going to be impossible!
All in all, a very good day.
]]>Wow! About 1/3 of our Kickstarter reward chairs are already packed!
And -- we have a little bit of a surprise surplus.
Check it out -- a limited selection of chairs have been made available in the online store.
Shop now!
Everybody pretty much insisted we include the web address. But not wanting to make it tacky, we might have erred for overly subtle?
A little last minute printing of our first edition instruction manual and users guide too.
And the great last minute upgrade to our packaging -- pipe insulation to protect the PVC cleats.
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Local filmmaker Angus recorded me assembling a chair last night. It took 45 minutes and we haven't had a chance to edit it yet. But here's the sped up version.
https://youtu.be/7xhsLfB6hbo
It was 35 degrees in his unheated Quonset hut.
Can't wait to see photos of the other 176 chairs we just made!
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