Our brain is mounted on a skeleton. Knowledge workers often how important that is, until our neck, back, or shoulders start complaining, output drops to zero and we start googling physical therapists and ergonomic chairs.
There’s a huge focus on taking care of one’s mind that misses the most important piece: the machinery that supports it.
Ergonomics is a bandaid
Changing the desk setup feels productive. Sometimes it even helps. But it rarely fixes the real problem: you’re weak and you sit too much. Sitting still all day will break your body, doesn’t matter how ergonomic your chair is, the height of your table or whether you have feet support.
You have to move. The best posture is your next posture.
Strength as infrastructure
Running, yoga, walking, all that is good and healthy. But if you sit at a desk for a living, nothing pays off like getting strong. Not fit. Not lean. Strong.
A weak body accumulates damage from sitting. A strong body tolerates it. The back pain, the stiff neck, the shoulder that clicks — these aren’t just aging. They’re signs of weakness. You can’t cure aging, but you can cure weakness.
When you get strong, you don’t even notice it directly. It’s not just about being more capable of moving furniture around or carrying big bags (although that’s a nice perk), but the downstream effects that come with becoming stronger. Sleep improves. Mood stabilises. Any posture is more comfortable. Self-confidence is through the roof. Random aches disappear. Most of your body’s friction is gone. And when that friction that was distracting your brain is gone, your brain can focus better.
The people who stay strong long-term aren’t doing anything exciting. They squat, they press, they pull. A handful of compound movements, twice a week, forever. They leave a couple reps in the tank and add weight slowly.
That’s it. No optimisation. No periodisation rabbit holes. No new program every six weeks.
The goal isn’t to become a powerlifter. It’s to build a body that doesn’t get in the way of your work.