What’s droopy, floppy and sagging around the office? No, it’s not your crabby boss — it’s your flabby butt.
Sitting on one’s backside for hours on end, slouched in a seat while staring at a computer screen, is flattening once-rounded heinies.
“I refuse to fall victim,” swore Krystina, a NYC-based content creator, warding off the wicked woes of “office chair butt.”
Despite its social media-given nickname, the aforementioned curse is a legitimate plague on patooties — more formally known as atrophy of the gluteal muscle group — caused by chronic sitting, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
And yes, it’s as bad for your booty as it sounds.
“A lack of conditioning in your gluteus maximus and surrounding tissue leads to weakness, making it build up fat tissue and appear flatter or saggy,” explained Michael Milicia, an occupational therapist, in a recent report for the clinic.
The doc noted that the actual chair a hireling sits in is not to blame for his or her beleaguered bottom. Instead, the true culprit is their lack of movement while on the clock.
“Sitting too long without breaks isn’t particularly good for anything,” Milicia said.
And his butt advisory is right on the nose.
Researchers from Beijing, China, recently reconfirmed the cautionary adage, “sitting is the new smoking,” finding that employees — namely office workers — are at a high risk of experiencing severe neck pain.
Kristianne Egbert, a board-certified professional ergonomist, issued a similar warning to The Post, saying, “holding any one posture for an extended period — whether sitting or standing — can take a toll on your body.”
“Static positions cause muscles to tense, slow blood flow and lead to fatigue,” she added.
Still, most 9-to-5ers, especially those who’ve been called to return the office for long-stretch shifts, are forced to park their hind parts in uncomfortable chairs in cramped cubicles for at least five days per week.
The bootylicious online, however, are working their butts to the bone with mid-day exercises, hoping the avoid the ills of office chair atrophy.
“Me every 30 minutes when I find out what office chair butt is,” Haike, a TikTok user, wrote in the closed-captions of a clip that featured her doing knee-lifts at her desk, running up and down a flight of stairs and doing laps around a conference room in her workplace.
Loba, an internet influencer from Chicago, stepped away from her workspace to hit a series of squats after catching a shocking glimpse of her flap-jack fanny.
And Nikki, a well-endowed diva, lead her team of fellow employees, comprised of both men and women, in executing several repetitions of lunges, squats, leg-lifts and stair climbs, vowing in her vid, “No office chair butt for us.”
For a Beyonce-like behind, Milica recommends slaying those exercises and more every day, suggesting folks, “get up and move every 30 to 90 minutes, as your job allows.”
Here are a few derrière-improving workouts to help you avoid looking like you’ve got pancakes in your work pants.
- Standing while taking a phone call
- Placing your filing cabinet or other equipment you use during the day a few feet away from your desk
- Walking to a colleague’s office for a face-to-face talk, rather than sending an email
- Inviting co-workers for a walking meeting
- Taking the stairs rather than the elevator
- Choosing a restroom that’s a little farther away
- Switching to a sit-stand desk
- Try a walking pad under your desk
- Butt clenches
- Marching in place
- Heel lifts
- Toe lifts
- Ankle circles
- Squeezing a ball (or your fists or other prop) between your legs
- Trying to hold your knees apart while pushing them together when your hands
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