This one seems very simple… and it is, but it’s hard to do. Ideally you would change your position every 20 minutes. This means that if you’re sitting all day, you should stand every 20 minutes; if you are standing all day, you should sit every 20 minutes. You don’t have to do a lot once you’re standing up, and you don’t have to stand for a long time; simply standing up and sitting back down is sufficient. Doing some additional things while you’re standing though can give you some added benefits. Here are a few ideas:

Walk around a little bit

Do a few body-weight squats***

Perform some thumb tracers (described later)

Very simple active stretches (rotate your torso from side to side, reach up to the ceiling and then down to your toes, here is a video with a bunch of dynamic stretches that you could choose from.)

Foam roll your spine for a little bit (as much or as little as you want) [This is explained in more detail later in this document]

***The body weight squats are one of the best; the up and down motion of your body is the input your brain needs to keep the postural muscles engaged, so this is going to supercharge it. Also, your body releases more of its own natural growth hormone when you do the squatting motion; this hormone burns fat and builds muscle.

Why? That up and down motion is the regular interaction with gravity that your brain needs to keep everything properly engaged. The benefit of standing and sitting only works if it is spread out throughout the day, which is why every 20 minutes is the suggested interval. If you care to read about this more, I’ve attached a PDF called “Why Sitting Kills While Moving Heals.”

These are a very simple neurologic exercise that tells your brain to engage your postural muscles. Stand with both hands out in front of you with straight arms, with your hands in a “thumbs up” gesture, both hands together straight in front of you. One arm at a time, lift your arm up and out at about a 45 degree angle and continue this motion in an arch that goes over your shoulder. While you’re bringing your arm up and out, follow your thumb with both your head and your eyes simultaneously (follow your thumb with your eyes, and moving your entire head as well. I’ll include a video). Bring your arm slightly past your shoulder, and at this point you can stop, reset, and then repeat with the other arm. Do this in sets of at least 20 at a time (10 per side) 3 times a day. Again, this is the ideal interval; any amount is better than none. After you have established a baseline amount, you can also do smaller sets throughout the day. While you’re working, stand up and do 3-5 on each side. Or while your shower is warming up in the morning, do a few sets.

Why? This particular motion of your eyes and head stimulates an area of your brain that turns on your postural muscles. We often talk about postural muscles being “weak;” that’s not because they need to be exercised, but because your brain needs the right input to keep them turned on (your body isn’t going to waste energy maintaining something that you don’t utilize). Thumb tracers keep your postural muscles engaged.