We spend so much of our time in chairs (at our desk, on the couch, in the car, etc.) but as humans we weren’t designed to sit in chairs! Our spines are flexible chains of bony vertebrae that provide us movement, shock absorption, and protection for our spinal cord. As an upright, bipedal locomotor, we like to sit on the ground with our legs crossed or squat when we’re not moving. Our bodies were designed to move so that we might hunt and gather, explore, and play. Instead of moving with our natural “S” curves, we sit for extended periods of time on chairs, seats, or couches with a “C” curve. Instead riding our horses in video games, or hunting on our laptops. Since it’s unlikely that any of you will move to sitting or squatting on the ground, the next best thing is to get up from sitting as frequently as you can, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Stretching and moving about every 30 to 60 minutes can help you relax your muscles, increase blood flow, sharpen your thinking, and avoid adaptive shortening, which results in tight, stiff muscles with limited range of motion. If you’d like more ideas on movement and stretches that will help keep your spine flexible come see us at Foundations Family Chiropractic in Cloverdale; Dr. Grewal would be happy to put together a care plan for you to help you continue feeling your very best!