Break Up Your Desk Time With Active Sitting

What is Active Sitting?

Active sitting or dynamic sitting is a form of sitting which still requires you to use your muscles. Abdominal and spinal muscles are used most while sitting to maintain an upright posture.  By introducing different pieces of equipment including active sitting chairs, sitting balance disc, an under desk bike, a desk treadmill or a ball chair the body is less likely to fatigue over the course of the day as it would when remaining completely passive for prolonged periods.  This said it is important to be consciously aware of your posture when using the different types of equipment as you can develop or perpetuate poor posture.

The Benefits

When using an active sitting chair, it is important to set the seat so that the hip and knees are not at or below 90 degrees, but set higher to further open both the hips and the knees.  Some of the benefits of active sitting include improved blood flow, a reduction of risk associated with certain diseases, a reduction in pain, improving muscle endurance of the stabilizers in the body, improved focus and productivity, improved posture, and a slight increase in caloric burn throughout the day.  It is important to note that though active sitting will help slow deconditioning, it does not replace exercise. 

Making the Most of Your Workday

There are a couple of different ways to approach active sitting.  Vari Active Seat is a pedestal design which allows you to sit, or stand therefore allowing you to rock, stretch or lean throughout the day.  The CoreChair is another product that provides some lumbar support while having a sculpted seat, it allows for movement in all directions thus can increase challenge to the core. The Exercise Ball Chair can be a good adjunct as it can improve your awareness and core stability, they can be used with a frame or alone as a means to add active sitting to your work day.  

Seat Alternatives

If you already have an existing seat the addition of a ThearaGear Disc, ProActive Sit Disc, a FitBall Sit Disc or a FitBall Wedge could be good additions to your office setup.  Each of these promote activity by reducing stability and none of which have any back support therefore the body must work harder to stabilize by engaging core musculature.  An alternative to these would be the BackJoy SitSmart which allows for a unidirectional movement with the benefit of some pelvic support when sitting.  There are a lot of different options available which allows everyone to incorporate the benefits of active sitting in their daily routine.

Find the right Active Seat for you!

Vari Active Seat              Vari Task Chair          ProActive Sit Disc