January Fitness Challenge
Daily fitness challenge for the month of January focused on proper sitting.
Daily Challenge
As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.
The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.
Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.
Anyone can find a few minutes to do something beneficial for themselves.
That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.
The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.
The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and maximize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.
Machine learning for humans.
Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training, with the physical benefits secondary to the mental skills developed.
Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.
Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.
January Daily Challenge: Sit unsupported, with an upright posture, for ten minutes.
Resolution season is in full swing.
Gyms are about to be packed for at least a few weeks.
We are all considering how we are going to make this year better than last.
While many will be getting after it this month with dramatic, unsustainable changes, I’m challenging you to start your day with the simple task of sitting properly for at least ten minutes. While seated, you could read, write, play brain games, do breathwork, or simply see what comes to your mind as you focus on the proper mechanics of sitting.
Proper sitting posture:
Strengthens core and posterior chain muscles
Improves posture and spinal health
Maintains joints
Enhances breathing and circulation
Supports digestion
Reduces neck and back pain
Prevents long-term sitting
Promotes resilience
Stacked skill development in the seated position.
Why Sitting?
The average adult meets the criteria of a sedentary lifestyle - six or more waking hours spent sitting, reclining, or lying down. The average American spends more than half of their day in the seated position. It makes sense when you consider our meals, meetings, desk jobs, commutes, and many of our games involve sitting.
In their phenomenal book, “Built To Move,” Kelly and Juliet Starrett outlined the impact of prolonged sitting:
In 2010, American Cancer Society researchers published a study based on epidemiological data from 123,216 men and women. What they found was that sitting for a substantial percentage of one’s waking day raised the risk of dying exponentially. According to the study’s metrics, women and men who sit more than six hours a day are 37 percent and 18 percent, respectively, more likely to die before people who sit less than three hours a day. What’s more, the negative effects were just as strong in people who exercised regularly. Subsequent studies have had similar results. “Sitting” has become synonymous with “sedentary” because most people barely move when plopped down in a chair or on a sofa.
Bottom line up front - sitting for long periods of time is not great for your health regardless of checking the box that is exercise a few hours per week.
This information caused the Starretts to post a sitting inventory challenge that required participants to track how many minutes of sitting they do a day. Similar to measuring calories to encourage conscious consumption, the act of monitoring time in the seated position is likely to cause people to sit less/find alternatives. There were, however, exceptions to this challenge. Sitting while exercising on a bike, rower, kayak, etc did not count for total time. Neither did sitting or squatting on the floor.
When most sit, they either slouch forward and/or recline into the back support of a seat. Both positions encourage relaxation of the core and posterior chain muscles, pressure on discs of the spine, particularly in the lumbar region, and awful posture.
Sitting on the floor without anything to lean back against causes one to have to provide their own lumbar support. Mild core engagement, upright posture, and attention to the intention of sitting correctly can make the passive act of sitting an active prevention against the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Becoming sensitive to our posture while sitting can strengthen our ability to course correct with movement or position improvements as needed.
If you’re going to sit, do it right.
How you sit influences how you live.
Various considerations for sitting positions are offered below.
The goal behind this challenge is to improve comfort in a proper seated position which may encourage you to consider how and why you sit at other times throughout the day. Doing something productive or intentionally emptying your mind while doing it is just icing on the enhanced ergonomic cake.
Technique & Modifications
* Watch video for technical demonstration and discussion. The written steps can help add detail to the micro-movements as needed *
Considerations:
Sit on the floor with legs extended in front of you
Sit on the edge of a chair without any back support
Sit on the floor with legs crossed
Perform a deep squat hold while keeping your back straight
For any seated position:
Remain upright and maintain neck alignment with the spine
Avoid sagging of the shoulders by keeping them aligned with the hips
Focus on mild engagement in your abs, back, and hips throughout
Progression Guide
For Beginners:
Take breaks (walking can be a break from a proper seated position)
Complete challenge for less time (ex. five minutes)
Sit on the edge of a seat before advancing to the floor
For Intermediate/Advanced:
Complete in the crossed legs position for the entire ten minutes
Complete in the deep squat position with upright posture for ten minutes
Extend total time to 30 minutes for position(s) of choice
Progressively reach a level of competency with the variations offered here. Once you become comfortable executing in a given way, expand the challenge.
As always, compete with yourself yesterday.
Progressive improvement is the goal.
Quality of movement is far more important than quantity of reps or time. Use modifications to develop the adaptations needed to perform the variations safely with good form.
Show up and do your best.
Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.
Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.
This is self-care.
The primary purpose of a daily, intentional challenge - training the skill that is resilience physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Get Ready
I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one.
Track your time and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and do your best.
Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.
How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?
These are the days that matter most.
These are the days that change you.
These are the moments you see what you’re made of.
This is how resilient mental states are forged.
Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.
Deliberate discomfort daily can lead to improved comfort elsewhere forever.
By the end of January, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, your core strength, spinal health, posture, ergonomic proficiency, and resilience will be improved.
Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.
Self-care through self-challenge.
A few minutes a day can change your life.
*Special Offer*
Join our community and earn a group call with other members at the end of the month to discuss progress and other opportunities for improvement:
Complete the challenge for more than half the month.
Bonus offer available for those who complete it every day.
In our community chat, we’ll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day’s challenge. Timing and modifications don’t matter—just show up and do your best.
To claim your special offer(s), share your story at the end of January:
Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.
Join our community, and let’s improve together.
Disclaimer:
The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of the information in this publication.
In. And going to try to get my daughter to, too. She's a typical ballerina build but fights me on the topic of sitting up straight. She utterly transforms herself from an elegant beauty to a sad giraffe by slouching. Not sure but maybe tall people almost want to subconsciously hide their height. And then they get annoyed by their dad calling them a sad giraffe...
I'm in!