Many of us have grown up hearing the phrase "stand tall, sit straight," and countless women have been told that sitting with legs spread is not an aesthetically pleasing posture.
However, recent discussions online have suggested that sitting with legs spread is actually the healthier sitting posture, claiming it helps maintain a neutral spine and promotes blood circulation.
Are there really so many benefits to sitting with legs spread? Have we been sitting incorrectly all this time? 🧐🧐🧐
“What's the Difference Between Good and Bad Sitting Posture?”
You might think: "Who doesn't know how to sit? As long as I'm comfortable, isn't that enough?"
In fact, the two most important roles of a "good sitting posture" are often overlooked by many people:
1.A "good sitting posture" needs to keep the spine neutral and avoid putting too much pressure on it.
The spine runs down the center of the back of the human body, starting from the back of the neck and extending all the way to the pelvis. These vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and the muscles and ligaments attached to them support most of our body weight and play a role in protecting the body and enabling movement.
If you are in an incorrect sitting position for an extended period, the spine will no longer maintain its normal curvature due to the excessive pressure it bears.
For example, when you sit hunched over, the chest folds inward, the thoracic spine bulges backward, and the lumbar spine bears more pressure. Over time, this can easily lead to lumbar disc herniation!
Even if the bones are not affected, muscle strain can also cause discomfort such as back pain, neuralgia, and weakness in the lower limbs! 😫
2.A "good sitting posture" can stabilize the pelvis.
The pelvis is an important structure that connects the upper and lower limbs, helping us to bear gravity and protect the organs in the pelvic cavity.
When sitting, if the body is tilted or the legs and feet are placed improperly, the pelvis will find it difficult to maintain a neutral position and may become tilted, leading to poor postures such as anterior or posterior pelvic tilt, or lateral tilt.
At this time, the organs in the pelvic cavity are also prone to pressure due to the folding of the pelvis, which can lead to poor blood circulation and may further cause problems such as constipation, indigestion, bladder issues, and gynecological problems. 😢
By now, you must have realized why crossing legs or sitting with legs together is not considered a "good sitting posture."
When crossing legs, the body tilts, causing the spine to twist and the pelvis to be uneven on both sides. When sitting with legs together, the pelvis tilts, and the lumbar spine bends, and the spine and pelvis still cannot maintain the correct position.
An experiment by the BBC in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, also confirmed that crossing legs for a long time can increase the risk of high blood pressure and varicose veins.
The experiment asked participants to maintain a crossed-leg posture for a longer period and monitored their blood pressure and blood circulation during the process. The results showed that:
When the heart rate is low and the legs are crossed, the amount of blood leaving the heart increases, and the blood pressure rises to push the blood back to the heart. This can increase the risk of venous thrombosis for people at high risk of thrombosis. [3].
"Sitting with legs appropriately spread apart indeed has many benefits."
Sitting with legs spread can indeed play a significant role in maintaining the stability of the spine and pelvis:
When sitting with legs spread, it's easier for the feet to be firmly on the ground, forming almost the same angle with the ground, and the knees are also easier to keep at the same height, which can help avoid tilting of the pelvis to a certain extent. When the pelvis is in a stable state, the spine above the pelvis is also easier to maintain a neutral position, thereby increasing the body's stability. [4].
For women, sitting with legs spread is more comfortable and healthy than crossing legs or sitting with legs together!
On one hand, because women's pelvis is naturally wider than men's, the pelvis naturally rotates when sitting, and the angle of rotation with legs spread is better than when sitting with legs crossed, which improves comfort during long periods of sitting. [5].
The natural rotation of the pelvis when sitting On the other hand, in hot weather, sitting with legs together can exacerbate sweating, and spreading legs can alleviate the problem of bacterial growth caused by stuffiness and lack of ventilation, thus helping women prevent gynecological diseases.
So, the claim that "women are more suited to sitting with legs spread" is not a rumor; it is indeed a posture worth advocating.
One of the ways to reduce the harm of prolonged sitting is to stabilize the pelvis, and in addition to sitting with legs spread, the yoga cross-legged sitting posture can also achieve this.
However, it should be noted that if the legs are spread too wide, it may disturb others in public places and is not appropriate.
Therefore, when sitting with legs spread, it's not necessary to exaggerate. The key is to let your feet be flat with a support point, about shoulder-width apart, and relax naturally.
"Don't forget that a healthy sitting posture is not just about spreading your legs apart."
Sitting with legs spread only meets part of the requirements for a healthy sitting posture, and there is another thing to remember: the posture of the upper body is also very important!
The neutral position of the spine is considered by many researchers to be an important factor in determining whether a sitting posture is correct. [6].
For example, the familiar "Ge You lie" (where the upper body is slumped in a curved position) cannot maintain a neutral position of the spine. [7].
Seeing this, you might think: It's okay to sit like this for a minute, but I might be exhausted after an hour!
Don't worry, here are 3 tips to help you "sit more comfortably":
✅ Choose a good chair, preferably an adjustable ergonomic chair 💺
- Adjust the angle between the backrest and the seat to 90-120 degrees, and the curvature of the backrest should be able to support the lumbar and lower back when leaning naturally.
- Adjust the height of the seat so that the legs can be flat on the ground, and the angle between the hip and knee joints can be maintained at 90-120 degrees.
- The elbow angle can also be maintained at a position of 90-120 degrees.
✅ Use small items to help yourself save effort 💪
- Place a lumbar support, a small blanket, or a lumbar pillow behind the lumbar spine to reduce the pressure on the waist and back;
- Place a footrest under the feet to help the feet be flat and maintain the appropriate angle between the hip and knee joints;
- You can also place a computer or phone stand on the desk to help yourself maintain an upright posture without always looking down.
✅ If it's not convenient to get up and move during a long period of sitting, you can also relieve the pressure by changing your sitting posture 🤗
For example, you can lean forward or lean back as a whole while maintaining the neutral position of the spine and pelvis.
In some special circumstances, you need to sit with your legs together or cross your legs, don't worry too much. Occasionally moving your legs can also relieve pressure to some extent.
