Alignment expert Taylor Hatcher wishes we’d give it a rest with the standing desks already.
Life-Hacking Special
Find out how to eat, train, work, and sleep better in our all-encompassing life-hacking special.As the owner of the in New York City, Hatcher specializes in working with elite athletes who also log Big Apple hours at their day jobs. A former Division I basketball player, she understands why we’re drawn to the idea that standing will improve fitness and stave off injury, but she warns that being on your feet for hours often causes a different set of problems. Proper form is critical, Hatcher explains, whether we’re upright or seated. “A lot of people who stand all day have really tight ankles and calves,” she says.
Instead, Hatcher encourages many clients to simply sit properly. “I call it my desk-jockey program,” she says. “It’s about alignment points—sitting with your head over your heart without flaring your ribs up. If people lift their head and translate it back, it changes everything.”
Hatcher emphasizes that to achieve proper sitting form, you need to do work outside the office, particularly wall sits (see “Desk Jockey,” right)—“They’re especially good before your regular workout, because you’re about to put a lot of force on your body”—and stretches that target hip flexors, calves, hamstrings, and neck.
The goal is to stay relaxed when you’re seated in front of a computer for hours on end. “Tension from holding a position means you aren’t breathing right,” she explains. “And if you’re not breathing right, you’re probably not getting any work done.”
Pro Tip: Taylor Hatcher's Rules for Smarter Sitting
Do: Maintain alignment of your head, middle back, and sacrum (lower back). Train your body with one-minute wall sits before a workout: take a seat on the floor, extend your legs straight out, and press your head, spine, and sacrum against the wall.
ٴDz’t: Let your eyes pull you forward. The body follows the eyes, so it’s important that they remain straight ahead, not pointed down at a screen.
Do: Make sure your ribs are neither tilted up nor compressed down. Adopting a wall-sit position should ensure this, too.
ٴDz’t: Puff out your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together: “That’s the worst thing you can do,” says Hatcher. “You’re creating a muscle imbalance.”
Do: Keep your sit bones pointed straight down into your chair. Extending your hands down to your knees with your back straight will help you find this position.
ٴDz’t: Tilt your pelvis back, creating a slouch, or lean forward, which hyperextends the lower back.
Do: Position your knees so they’re just forward of the front of your ankle, where your shin meets your foot. Your second toes should point forward with your legs hip distance apart.
ٴDz’t: Sit at a height that causes your thighs to be at a steep angle to the floor (they should be parallel) or your heels to lift off the ground.
Bonus: Three Cures for Cubicle Fever
Inbox Walk:Do a chunk of e-mailing during a stroll with a smartphone voice assistant like Google Now (Android), Siri (iOS), or Cortana (Windows).
Hijack Workspace:Relocating to that sofa in the lobby or bench in the atrium for noncomputer tasks will force you to sit in a new position.
Stealth Workout:Rows train back muscles that aid alignment. Attach a resistance band to the wall behind your desk. Pull either side back until your elbows hit 45 degrees, hold a few seconds, and repeat. Do three sets of ten.
You Can Hack It: Resources for Rapid Improvement
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