You're Making Your Butt Flatter And You Don't Even Know It

​If you spend a lot of your life sitting down, say in an office for example, you'll probably be aware of the havoc it can play with your back. But I'm here as the bearer of bad news, office workers/generally lazy people far and wide: it's also damaging to your bum, too.

Yup, if you're looking for a butt comparable to Kim Kardashian's, you might want to quit the day job and start searching for a new career in dog-walking or something equally as active.

Because actual, in-the-know science types have revealed that sitting down all day can really take its toll on your behind, but not necessarily in the way you'd think. While you might imagine all that sitting down only serves to flatten your once-curvaceous tush, it's more the inactivity of the muscles that causes the issue.

​SELF​ spoke to Dan Giordano, co-founder of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy, who informed them that "when you sit all day, basically what happens is your glutes shut down." Well that's not exactly ideal, is it?

And it can literally cause your booty to change shape. "An anterior pelvic tilt (tight hip flexors) can make your booty appear flatter," Giordano explained.

Plus, if you've noticed an on-set of cellulite since you settled down and became a real adult with a real job which involves lots of sitting down (er, me), you're not imagining it. "Cellulite can form because of lack of blood flow at skin level, which causes loss of collagen," personal trainer Adam Gallo​ noted.

Which means that, while we'd rather ignore those desk-assessment people who come round and tell you your posture's shit and you need to sit up, we should probably start paying attention to them. Because, along with regular work-outs, good posture can help counteract the negative effects of sitting down for your bum.

So make sure you keep those feet flat on the ground, get yourself a lower-back support, relax your shoulders, maintain your elbows at table height, and make sure your chair stays close to your desk so you're not constantly reaching out for your keyboard.​

Your booty will thank you for it, seriously.