How Kneeling & Squatting Is Better Than Sitting? [Ultimate Guide]

The shift from work from home has changed our way of sitting. It is not limited only to an eight-hour office chair, but it is possible that we can once decide how (or how long) to sit.

There is no better time than now to try other ways to sit for your health, two of which are for kneeling and squatting. Kneeling and squatting in the following keyways are better than sitting regularly:

Require the most muscle activity (up to 8x more so than regular sitting) to sustain, selecting the type of effective sitting that removes many of your normal sitting health problems.
To protect against back pain, better conserve the natural curvature of the lumbar spine. However, there are inconveniences. Read about the research and the best practice for kneeling or squatting at the desk when you’re working.

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The “Regular” Sitting Problem

Contents

The truth is that sitting in is not inherently harmful. If this is true, as human beings, we should always be active – walking, running, or moving – most of the time.

This is biologically counterproductive, where energy conservation has been a cornerstone of wildlife survival. The real issue with sitting is the way we are sitting these days and the long life. When the real damage occurs, both conditions are met.

Consistent Sitting With Time

Modern-day setting includes sitting in a chair that relaxes our major muscle groups. The aim is to enable us to sit without fatigue or physical discomfort for as long as possible. For this purpose, the modern chair was a great success, allowing us to remain for many hours at once in the same position.

It’s fine, even therapeutic, to have your larger muscles, joint, and bone support for a short time. The problem is that we often stay a long time, day after day, in this sedentary position.

Why Kneeling & Squatting Is Way More Effective?

Muscle activity of kneeling and squatting

Hadza people don’t use (or have) chairs when they rest, they knee and squat. These positions are nothing but muscular and metabolic despite their inactive appearance.

In fact, the team found that squatting and kneeling lead to 40% of the walking muscles while sitting only takes 5%. Kneeling and squatting, in other words, generates 8 times more muscular activity than sitting.

The perfect active sitting option has already appeared in nature, kneeling and squatting.

Can Be Beneficial For Your Back

Another upside is the easier way to kneel and squat on the back. When the lumbar spine normally sits 90 degrees, it loses its inner bend and causes compression and pressure to increase, which causes back pain over time.

How to Do It Appropriately?

Okay, so you’re ready for the way Hadza to begin sitting. Here are the main tips to be taken into account:

Set your laptop on a low coffee table and work materials at the level of the eye.
Make sure the keyboard is reachable, so you don’t have to circle your shoulders. If necessary, use a wireless keyboard.
Make sure you have a flat back with a small arch at the bottom of the back. Turn the hips to lean forward if necessary.
Arms should have an open angle or parallel to the floor (past 90 degrees). It’s supposed to be neutral for wrists. The neck is supposed to be straight.

Other Ways to Squat and Keep Your Posture Right

Kneeling at Desk- Straight back with a slightly curved lumbar spine.

Put a blanket between your buttock and your legs if it gets uncomfortable to kneel.
Use a kneeling chair instead to work in the kneeling position for longer.
If you have back pain, think of using a kneeling chair. The 20-degree reclining seat preserves the natural lumbar curve even better than the normal kneeling of the backpressure.

Follow these tips to maintain a good posture.