Better Hip and Core Health Using a Chair

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Frequent chair use is one of the reasons people in Western Culture lose the ability to squat which is an important category of movement for the mobility of the whole body. However, we can use a chair to help restore our core and hip function and progress on the path towards regaining the ability to squat. First, recognize that resting into the back of a chair is decreasing your core's responsibility for supporting your upper body and it is allowing you to posteriorly tilt the pelvis which uses less hip flexion and can lead to lower back strain. So the easy fix is to periodically sit forward in the chair so that you core has to do the work of supporting you, and so that your pelvis can tilt forward (at least back to neutral) which will increase the flexion in your hips. You're already half-way towards the position of a squat! Another tip is to try scooting as far forward as you can on the seat of the chair until you feel the "sit-bones" or Ischial Tuberosities of the pelvis right on the edge of the chair (if you feel like you're going to fall off, just back up a bit or hold onto the chair) that grip of those bones on the edge of the chair will help you tilt a bit more forward deepening the ability to hinge at the hips. There's a lot more progressions toward better squatting but if you start with these you'll be well on your way to better hip and core function!