How to Stand Up

Stand up. Sounds tough right?  In this article, I will explain to you how you can get from a seated position to a fully standing position with just a few simple steps.

You see, you and I were designed to be standers.  Somewhere along the way our culture has become infatuated with the seated position.  You do it everywhere:in your car, at your desk, at the movies. It’s no wonder you’ve forgotten how to stand up properly.

While in a seated position, your primary standing muscles at the hips are in a stretched and lengthened position.  After being in this position for any amount of time, they become ineffective at lifting you from that seated position.  What happens then is that you tend to make the movement into a more knee dominant action, which over time, can take a toll on your knees.

Steps for achieving a fully standing position.

1. Push your seat slightly away from your desk.

2. Sit up proud with the top of your head pointed toward the ceiling.

3. Firmly plant your feet flat on the ground with your toes pointing slightly outward.

4. Take a deep breath into your abdomen.

5. Drive through your heels and lift upwards like a rocket.  The top of your head being the tip of the rocket, try and keep it pointing to the sky. (This can take some balance.)

6. At the top really try and squeeze your butt cheeks.

If you’ve done this properly you should find yourself in a fully erect and standing position.  Warning: you may now be at eye level with other standers.  Try to avoid any eye contact with these aggressive individuals.

Some things NOT to do when attempting to stand.

Do NOT lean forward and over your desk.

Do NOT shift your weight to the balls of your feet or toes.

Do NOT use your hands when pushing yourself upward.

Do NOT tilt or shift your weight predominately to one side before standing.

Learning to get from point A to point B will take some time at first, but soon it will become second nature.  Do not be surprised if this new habit leads to decreased pain in the lower back and knees.  I’ll see you at the top.