Sitting is “IN” (Part 2) – The Past
Have you ever thought about how things used to be?
Only a few decades ago people walked or biked to work and school. Our grandparents did their work with their hands and their feet, not with their “sitting muscles”. Children played outside and climbed trees rather than spending their evenings in front of the television or the computer. Coffee was ground by hand, clocks were wound daily, and to go to the bathroom you had to leave the house and walk a few meters to find the nearest outhouse.
Perhaps this sounds like some sort of romanticized story to you – and that is what it sounds like these days. Few of us have realized how quick and dramatic a change has happened. Our environment and entertainment has become digital, virtual, and busy in just a blink. What is worse is that our environment has also become passive.
Before sitting there was a short break in the middle of a physically demanding day. For the first time, sitting is no longer for rest. It is an act that we do every day. We sit at home, at school, while studying, on business trips, at work, and even in our free time we often rely on our chairs to support us. It seems there is no longer a need to use our muscles.
