Have you heard of saddle sitting? Many people are now trading in their regular office chair for a saddle chair and getting great results. You can relieve pain in many parts of your body plus feel more energized and alert when you put aside your regular office chair and try saddle sitting for at least part of your workday.
You can finally sit in an ergonomically friendly way. A saddle chair involves a strongly declined position for the upper legs, and this means that the pelvis rotates forward so that the lower back moves into a better position for optimal comfort and health. This means better posture, reduced tension and more.
Your back is strengthened as you sit. The improved sitting position may be a bit uncomfortable at first because your back is so weak from the way you’ve been sitting in the past. But your new way of sitting is stimulating for your back muscles as well as your abs and your butt. As you use your saddle chair more and more, your posture gradually gets better as your entire back starts to strengthen.
Circulation actually improves. As you do more and more saddle sitting each day, circulation in your legs improves. Better circulation means decreased chances of sitting-related conditions like deep vein thrombosis and blood clots as well as less fatigue. Your whole body feels better when your circulatory system is working as it should.
Pressure is no longer a problem. If your office chair is old or poorly padded, you may experience pain and decreased circulation underneath your upper legs from where your legs press against the chair. But with a saddle chair, there’s no edge to press against. Open and unobstructed blood vessels are a great thing for overall health. That means your metabolism can increase, increasing energy. And of course, your legs won’t hurt anymore after sitting for a long time.
Relaxing is easier. When you sit in a saddle seat, the wider hip abduction relaxes your legs and your whole body, making you less tense. And this relaxation of the muscles means that when you get up and move around, you can walk better and easier because your legs aren’t already tired. In fact, people with neurological problems that make sitting upright in a regular chair difficult can often sit perfectly in a saddle chair.
And that’s not all. Consider these additional important facts and details about using a saddle seat:
- Doctors and dentists report less neck and back pain when they switch to a saddle stool.
- Children are more likely to sit up properly and behave as they should when in a saddle chair.
- Hand-eye coordination is improved for some when they sit in a saddle seat because of the better shoulder position.
- When used along with a raised desk, saddle seating is particularly helpful for office workers.
- Getting up and sitting down are easier when saddle sitting.
- Your reach may be longer and easier when sitting in a saddle chair.
- And even better, your spine curves into its naturally healthiest position when saddle sitting, leading to long-term comfort and greater overall health.
So what’s not to like about saddle sitting? It makes a difference for many people who experience discomfort when sitting in a traditional office chair all day long. Start by using a saddle seat only an hour or two a day, then you may be able to gradually increase to exclusively using a saddle seat.