Sedentary Summer: 4 Tips to Survive Sitting This Summer

Sedentary Summer:  4 Tips to Survive Sitting This Summer

Summer is filled with a near unlimited supply of fun-in-the-sun activities for you and your family to enjoy. And, when you think of summer, it’s likely you think of lots of physical activities that you could be doing. However, whether it be sitting out on the cold, hard ground at an amphitheater to enjoy a show; cramming into those “too small,” metal stadium bleachers to watch a rodeo; or, you just end up having to head out to your kids’ community baseball games every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, the summer is full of lots of sedentary activities to go along with the more active ones. 


As fun as these activities may be, they’re not very helpful for your back and neck pain. It’s often hard to find a comfortable position to sit in. When you’re on the ground, you find yourself adjusting every five minutes because no matter how you sit you just can’t get comfortable. After sitting in stadium bleachers for so long, your butt is so numb and uncomfortable that you question if you’ll ever be able to stand again. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how fun these activities are because you’re spending more time focusing on getting comfortable than the actual activity itself. 


Here are 4 easy tips to survive sitting in the summer: 


  1. Stretch 

The worst thing about sitting is the way that it puts pressure on your back in all the wrong places. Whatever type of way that you’re sitting, it’s important to get up and stretch your back and legs. I would recommend doing this every 30–45 minutes. This will make sitting down comfortable for longer. So, the next time you’re out at your kid’s baseball game, don’t stay sitting in the bleachers; get up and walk along the fence and yell at the umpire every so often. 


  1.   Bring Support 

No, I’m not talking about emotional support, though that may be just what you need. This tip is most helpful if you’re going to be sitting on the ground for an extended period of time. Your back needs support when you sit in this position, especially since a lot of pressure is getting focused on your lower back. Bring a pillow to keep right behind your lower back, roll up the pillow for stronger support. 


  1. Cushions

Everybody loves a good cushion, and this is the perfect opportunity to break out that old, inflatable donut you have leftover from that time you broke your tailbone. Really though, it doesn’t matter what you bring for that extra bit of cushion, just that you have something. Pillows, blankets, etc. All of it helps. Sit on one of these to help make a cold, hard seat more comfortable. It’s the perfect cure for numb-butt. 


  1. Posture

Now, I’m not accusing anyone here, but it’s likely we aren’t sitting with the best posture—especially since, for whatever reason, it’s our instinct to lean forward whenever our back starts to hurt. It’s time to fit that extinct. Focus on having better posture while you sit; your spine should be perpendicular to the seat that your sitting in. However, for that extra support, and to make it something you don’t need to focus on, Chirp has two posture correctors that you can use: the lower-back posture corrector, and the upper-back.