每日英语:Why Sit Up Straight?
2013-05-19 21:23
218 查看
Stop for a second and notice the way you are sitting. Back curved, shoulders slumped, maybe legs crossed? For people who spend the day staring at a computer screen, this position is fairly typical. But what is it doing to your spine, if anything? Do we need to sit up straight to focus, like that mean math teacher once insisted? Here's some straight talk from one expert, Mladen Golubic, medical director for the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute.
slump:衰退,消沉 spine:脊柱,脊椎
Degrees of Comfort
Little research has been done on the best way to sit upright. One American meta study in 1999 concluded that sitting at an angle of 110 to 130 degrees was optimal for spine comfort. A Scottish study published in 2007 found that leaning back at 135 degrees is ideal to prevent back strain. While interesting, this sort of precision may be impractical for most people, Dr. Golubic says.
Sitting to Death?
His clinic sees patients with multiple chronic illnesses. Nearly all of them sit for long periods each day. The term Sedentary Death Syndrome was coined by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2002 to address the growing consequences of a seated lifestyle. 'There are studies on Sedentary Death Syndrome that show that sitting for hours can cause anything from lower back pain to high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity,' he says. In other words, no matter what position you're sitting in all day, it is pretty bad for you.
chronic:慢性的,长期的,习惯性的 cholesterol:胆固醇
The Perfect Pose
Body posture determines the efficiency of your breathing. 'Relaxed, straight sitting' -- with the core strong, shoulder blades active but not tight and spine erect -- 'expands your chest, allowing you to take in a larger breath . . . and you'll have more energy and focus,' Dr. Golubic says. To achieve this, sit away from the back of your chair so you don't slump, with your feet placed firmly on the ground. He sometimes sends patients home with a blue dot to put on their computer screens as a reminder to sit up straight and stretch and take a deep breath when they feel pain. There is also an app called PostureTrack that alerts users when they're slumping.
blade:刀片,刀锋 erect:竖立,安装,建立
Slump to a Hump
It's not as though slouching will give you a hunchback in a day, but 'if you do this day after day, and your muscles are not strong, the whole skeleton changes,' Dr. Golubic says. 'I'm not aware of any studies that look at the changes in the volume of organs like the liver and spleen when you sit straight or slump forward. But we do know that when you slouch, you project an attitude of depression and low motivation.' When you sit up straight, he adds, 'psychologically, your attitude is better.'
slouching:懒散的,没精打采的 hunchback:驼背
Core Message
If you're not used to sitting up straight, you may feel lower back pain -- an indicator that you need to strengthen your core and work on general fitness. Dr. Golubic almost always advises his patients to start yoga: 'The first thing we learn in yoga is how to sit properly.'
Walk, Don't Sit
The bottom line: How you sit is less important than how long you sit, Dr. Golubic says. He tries to get up from his desk often, doing 'walking meetings' with colleagues and taking phone calls outdoors. 'If you cannot walk,' he says, 'At least stand.'
slump:衰退,消沉 spine:脊柱,脊椎
Degrees of Comfort
Little research has been done on the best way to sit upright. One American meta study in 1999 concluded that sitting at an angle of 110 to 130 degrees was optimal for spine comfort. A Scottish study published in 2007 found that leaning back at 135 degrees is ideal to prevent back strain. While interesting, this sort of precision may be impractical for most people, Dr. Golubic says.
Sitting to Death?
His clinic sees patients with multiple chronic illnesses. Nearly all of them sit for long periods each day. The term Sedentary Death Syndrome was coined by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2002 to address the growing consequences of a seated lifestyle. 'There are studies on Sedentary Death Syndrome that show that sitting for hours can cause anything from lower back pain to high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity,' he says. In other words, no matter what position you're sitting in all day, it is pretty bad for you.
chronic:慢性的,长期的,习惯性的 cholesterol:胆固醇
The Perfect Pose
Body posture determines the efficiency of your breathing. 'Relaxed, straight sitting' -- with the core strong, shoulder blades active but not tight and spine erect -- 'expands your chest, allowing you to take in a larger breath . . . and you'll have more energy and focus,' Dr. Golubic says. To achieve this, sit away from the back of your chair so you don't slump, with your feet placed firmly on the ground. He sometimes sends patients home with a blue dot to put on their computer screens as a reminder to sit up straight and stretch and take a deep breath when they feel pain. There is also an app called PostureTrack that alerts users when they're slumping.
blade:刀片,刀锋 erect:竖立,安装,建立
Slump to a Hump
It's not as though slouching will give you a hunchback in a day, but 'if you do this day after day, and your muscles are not strong, the whole skeleton changes,' Dr. Golubic says. 'I'm not aware of any studies that look at the changes in the volume of organs like the liver and spleen when you sit straight or slump forward. But we do know that when you slouch, you project an attitude of depression and low motivation.' When you sit up straight, he adds, 'psychologically, your attitude is better.'
slouching:懒散的,没精打采的 hunchback:驼背
Core Message
If you're not used to sitting up straight, you may feel lower back pain -- an indicator that you need to strengthen your core and work on general fitness. Dr. Golubic almost always advises his patients to start yoga: 'The first thing we learn in yoga is how to sit properly.'
Walk, Don't Sit
The bottom line: How you sit is less important than how long you sit, Dr. Golubic says. He tries to get up from his desk often, doing 'walking meetings' with colleagues and taking phone calls outdoors. 'If you cannot walk,' he says, 'At least stand.'
相关文章推荐
- 每日英语:Why Chinese Kids Are Smart But Not Creative
- 每日英语:Hold On: Reasons For Never Giving Up Your Dream
- 每日英语:Why Are Items Pricier in China?
- 每日英语:'The Dream Is Dead': Why So Many Chinese Journalists Are Quitting
- 每日英语:Why Food Companies Are Fascinated by the Way We Eat
- 每日英语:Upgrade Your Life: How to speed up your PC (or Mac)
- 每日英语:Skull Shakes Up Human Family Tree
- 每日英语:Why Chinese Companies Lack Homegrown Luxury Brand Power
- 每日英语:Why Are Fractions Key To Future Math Success?
- 每日英语:Why Leave Job in Beijing? To Breathe
- 每日英语:Why Rate Your Marriage? A Numerical Score Can Help Couples Talk About Problems
- 每日英语:Why You Need a Dictator in a Marriage
- 每日英语:Best Ways to Ramp Up to A Marathon
- 每日英语:Why is Ye Shiwen’s Swim “Disturbing”?
- 每日英语:Prosecutors Wrap Up Case Against Bo
- 每日英语:Why Is It So Hard for Men to Cry?
- 每日英语:Why Food Companies Are Fascinated by the Way We Eat
- 每日英语:Why the Internet Makes It Hard to Procrastinate
- 每日英语:Hard Math: Adding Up Just How Little We Actually Move
- 每日英语:Can You Catch Up On Lost Sleep?