I have learnt from personal experience that fatigue and good posture are not friends!
I bet you know the feeling all too well too. Picture this – you are burning the midnight oil trying to get some work completed, so tired that you are leaning so far forward your nose is nearly touching the screen, the muscles in your neck and shoulder region aching and burning. Or is this more like you - sitting for hours and hours on end in front of the computer, rolled shoulders, slouching, hunched over and a gradual building of pain in your lower back and neck. In either scenario, you push on despite the pain, despite the fact productivity is low and the quality of what you are producing is poor! Sound familiar?
Whichever one of these scenarios you relate too... The ending of the story is the same: With fatigue, good posture goes out the door and so do your productivity levels.
Fatigue is one of the most common causes of bad posture. When muscles become tight and tired they cannot provide the level of support to the skeleton that they are meant to. And with muscles having to work extra hard to keep you upright, your energy levels dissipate quickly.
Is it really worth it?
This is where active self-management becomes paramount. Listen to your body. You will actually find if you take frequent breaks during your workday, change position often (alternate sitting and standing) and implement a regular stretching routine to help nip muscular discomfort in the bud that your posture will be better managed, fatigue will not be an issue and most importantly your level of productivity will get a significant boost too.
So, do yourself a favour. Rather than paying the price for your bad habits - break the cycle. Next time do something different. Make a change for a more active workday. Your body will thank you.
What are you doing to look after yourself today?