We all know what it's like to feel as though you'll never be allowed to stand up again - on an airplane, stuck in a meeting, stuck in class, in a waiting room, where you'd get funny looks for getting up and breaking out some awesome dance moves or stretches...
What we'd all rather be doing. (Stock)
Here are a few easy things you can do to wake up your core, hip, and leg muscles while sitting.
Magic (aka Push Through Your Feet) (Trust me, it really feels like magic.)
If you're lucky enough to be stuck in a chair that puts your hips at about a 90° angle to your torso, with your feet on the floor, try this. Put your feet flat on the floor, sit up so you can feel your sitz bones under you, and push gently and evenly through both feet. As you push, allow the pressure from your feet to travel through your pelvis and all the way up your spine, making you taller and activating standing muscles, even though you're sitting!
You can also do this in a higher chair, but it works best at about 90°.
If your chair is too high or low, you can also get some of the same sensations by tilting your hips forward and letting that change in angle push your spine taller.
Note: Beware of letting this crunch your lower back by not allowing the pressure to travel all the way up your spine. Not fun.
Dance Party in Your Seat (aka Side-to-Side Rocking)
This one is great for stiff hips and lower backs. Sit up on your sitz bones, and shift all of your weight to one sitz bone as though you needed to slide a credit card under your other hip, then shift to the other. Shift back and forth, slowly at first, and allow your back muscles a change of pace! (Not the end of the world if your feet can't be on the floor for this one.)
Seated Hula Hooping (aka Circles)
The human body really likes circles. They coordinate muscle groups and keep joints healthy. There are a few circles you can do while sitting. These will all work best if they are slow, small, and easy. These are NOT isolations. For a stiff neck, turn yourself into a bobble head and trace a TINY SLOW circle with the top of your head. For a stiff upper back, try a slow circle with your ribcage. For a stiff lower back or hips, move the circle all the way down to your pelvis and trace a circle underneath you, using your sitz bones as two points on that circle, and allowing your torso to follow the movement of your pelvis. (Also fine if your feet aren't on the floor, but easier if they are.)
Have fun, and please comment below or contact me with any questions!