7 Activities to Do While Relaxing in Your Zero Gravity Chair
Considering adding a zero gravity chair to your home? More than a simple recliner, zero gravity chairs benefit your body both mentally and physically. Aside from experiencing the benefits of neutral body positioning, or NBP, there are a number of functions you can add to your daily routine.
From simple exercises to improved sleep quality, here are 4 activities to do while relaxing in your zero gravity chair:
Simple Exercises for Zero Gravity Chairs
Physical Inactivity is a major contributing factor to cardiovascular disease and a host of conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. More sedentary lifestyles, work conditions, or physical limitations may all be reasons you find yourself seated for prolonged periods of time. Increasing physical activity can improve heart health and overall bodily function.
Consider incorporating these simple exercises sitting in a zero gravity chair:
- Quad Lifts
- Calf Raises
- Core-Building Exercises
- Tricep Workout
- Oblique Twists
Quad Lifts
Performing quad lifts in a zero gravity chair is good for working on your quadriceps. To execute these, sit upright with your back straight and your feet flatly on the floor. With your hands placed on your thighs, slowly lift your foot off the ground, extending your leg.
Be careful not to lift your thigh off the chair as this is not the point behind the exercise.
Quad lifts are similar to a kicking action. Once fully extended, you can clench your thigh muscle slightly if you like, then lower your foot back to the ground. Each lift is one repetition. Consider setting goals for the number of sets and repetitions for each leg while you are sitting in your zero gravity chair.
Calf Raises
Calf raises are another easy exercise to do sitting in a zero gravity recliner. Once again sitting straight up with your feet flatly on the floor, position your knees directly above your ankles at a 90-degree angle. Slowly raise your knees, lifting the heels of your feet off the ground while keeping the balls of your feet in place. If this zero gravity chair exercise is too easy, you can add resistance by adding weight to your thigh muscles beforehand.
Core-Building Exercises
This zero gravity chair exercise may not be for those experiencing back pain or sciatica symptoms, but can be a great way to strengthen the core while seated. Strong core muscles make it easier to perform many physical activities. In the zero gravity position, place your hands across your chest and pick a visual point of reference on the ceiling above you. Slowly lift your shoulders up from the recliner without straining your head forward then relax back down. As you lift, you will feel your abdominal muscles working. Each lift is a repetition.
Tricep Workout
Tricep workouts are great exercises in zero gravity chairs for everyone, especially those looking to add physical activity but may have limited leg mobility. While seated straight up, place your arms on the armrests and execute the motion as if you were pushing yourself to standing position. For those looking to push themselves further, consider doing full chair dips with your body off the chair until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Hold each rep for 10 seconds for maximum effect.
Oblique Twists
This is a great exercise to work your core and obliques while remaining seated. Sit up straight and position your hands behind your head. Twist so that your right elbow touches your left knee while bending forward.
You will feel your abdominal muscles contract as you perform this motion. Return to the set position and repeat for the opposite elbow and knee. You may not be able to touch elbow to knee at first, but over time you will achieve better flexibility and improve.
Meditating in a Zero Gravity Chair
Meditation is a great non-physical way to manage stress levels and improve both mental and physical health. Integrating meditation into your daily self-care routine can help reduce stress, lower anxiety, and improve self-awareness.
There is no singular right way to meditate. Meditation focuses the mind and body in the present, letting you restore calm and peace. Consider trying guided meditation or mindfulness meditation while relaxing in your zero gravity chair even just a few minutes each day.
Binaural Beat Therapy
Binaural beats are auditory illusions. When you hear two tones at slightly different frequencies (one in each ear) your brain processes a third tone at the difference in frequencies. For binaural beats to work, each sound must be under 1000 Hz and differ by no more than 30 Hz. Additionally, each sound must be heard independently in each ear.
Binaural beat therapy is said to bring about a similar mental state as achieved by meditation. The health benefits of binaural beat therapy include stress reduction, inducing more positive moods, and increasing overall relaxation. It makes an easy non-physical activity to do while relaxing in your zero gravity chair!
Zero Gravity Chair Massage
Massage features on luxury zero gravity chairs are great for releasing muscle tension and stiffness. Incorporated into your daily fitness routine, a massage will keep your body loose and relaxed. Massage functions also serve to enhance the health benefits of zero gravity chairs by increasing blood circulation, which can lower blood pressure and improve heart health. Combine a massage feature with heat therapy functions and further boost your experience!
Muscle and Pain Relief With Heat Therapy Functions
Heat therapy is great for pain relief and relaxing muscles. Adding heat therapy sessions after your zero gravity chair exercises means you never have to leave your recliner! In addition to assisting blood circulation and relaxing muscles, heat therapy is also perfect for treating back pain and sciatica symptoms. Daily usage can improve overall bodily health and have you feeling better than you have in forever.
Zero Gravity Reading Chair
Who doesn’t love a good book? A perfect activity to do while relaxing in your zero gravity chair is reading! The benefits of reading books include improving brain connectivity, preventing cognitive decline, decreasing depression, and managing stress levels. Reading before bed has also been shown to increase sleep readiness, letting the mind relax and improving sleep quality.
Achieve Better Sleep Quality in Zero Gravity Chairs
Perhaps not the most active item on the list, sleep is certainly an activity to do while relaxing in your zero gravity chair! Since neutral body positioning allows your body to more fully relax, it can achieve better sleep quality. This is great for those who are missing restful sleep in a more traditional bed setting. Luxury zero gravity chairs with smart wake-up functions will keep you from relaxing longer than you meant to.
