Skip to content Pro tip: If you’re spending more time rubbing your neck than rubbing one out, it’s time to sit up and take notice – you need to be practising a different kind of self love. And I definitely don’t mean a weekly visit to a soapy massage parlour.
Despite today’s fast-paced world, most of us spend most of our days sitting at a desk, hunched over our computers, operating in Quasimodo.
This sedentary lifestyle has given rise to a common problem known in Thailand as office syndrome, a collection of symptoms including neck, shoulder and back pain caused by poor posture, repetitive movements and prolonged sitting.
Office syndrome isn’t just a fancy excuse for saying I hate my job – it’s an actual condition that’s turning us into a nation of slouching, aching desk jockeys.
Stop treating your body like it’s a voodoo doll that needs to be poked and prodded by needles. Newsflash: Ultrasound therapy, acupuncture and massages might feel therapeutic saviours, but they’re about as effective at fixing long-term office syndrome as thoughts and prayers are at stopping climate change.
If you want to actually fix office syndrome, you gotta get off your ass and actually use those muscles gathering dust under your middle-age spread.
And it’s not just the desk jockeys who suffer from office syndrome. It was our head chef, Ween who inspired me to share this wisdom on the page. We were at his restaurant, calculating the macros for our dishes, when he mentioned that he had pain in his neck and shoulders, something that had been bothering him for a while. Having dealt with similar issues myself, I suggested he try three exercises that helped me: shoulder presses, upper back rows and lat pulldowns.
You gotta understand the physiological reason for that pain. Your muscles are tighter than Donald Trump’s grip over the Republican Party, while others are weaker than the plot of a Michael Bay movie. Or in other words, your muscles are as imbalanced as the political views of the military-appointed senate.
Office syndrome occurs when certain muscles in the body, such as those in the shoulders, back and neck, become overworked and tight, while others weaken from lack of use. Sitting for extended periods leads to slumped shoulders and rounded backs, pulling the upper body out of alignment. This imbalance between tight, overused muscles and weak, underused muscles results in pain, tension and discomfort.
Most people suffering from office syndrome tend to take a passive approach. Painkillers are used to numb the symptoms, or they rely on a physiotherapist to ‘fix’ them. But this doesn’t address the underlying issue: the muscle imbalances that are causing the pain in the first place.
The truth is, while professional therapy can help, reversing office syndrome doesn’t always require expensive treatments and weeks or months of therapy. For many, a few simple exercises, performed consistently, can restore balance to the muscles and ease the discomfort.
Muscle imbalance is at the core of office syndrome. Sitting at a desk for long hours tightens the front of your body (chest and shoulders), while the muscles in your back, responsible for keeping you upright, become weak and underutilised.
Three key exercises can target this imbalance and help reverse office syndrome:
Ween took this advice and did the exercises in his condo gym. The next time we saw each other, just a week later, he shared his delight at how the pain had disappeared so quickly. It just goes to show that sometimes the best solutions are simple ones, and you can take charge of your health even when the problem seems overwhelming.
When you focus on building these muscles, you’re essentially rebalancing your body, correcting poor posture, and reducing the likelihood of tension and pain in the neck, back and shoulders.
Stop being so passive about your health. Popping pills like they’re Tic-Tacs isn’t going to solve the problem. It’s like trying to fix global warming by turning up the AC. It might feel good for a minute, but you’re just adding to the problem.
Of course, exercise is only one part of the equation. To really feel your best, it’s essential to nourish your body with wholesome, delicious and healthy meals. At Crunch Your Meals, we believe that what you eat directly affects how your body functions. Eating nutrient-rich foods helps your muscles recover after exercise, reduces inflammation and supports your overall health.
Whether you’re focusing on protein for muscle repair or healthy fats and fibre for sustained energy, our meals aren’t just delicious – they’re low in sugar and sodium and designed to give the body the fuel it needs to perform and recover.
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