Optimize Your Workday for Better Workouts
You train hard in the gym. You’re committed to your strength, conditioning, and performance goals. But if you spend the rest of your day hunched over a desk, stuck in meetings, or barely moving between 9 to 5, your body may not be ready to perform when it counts.
This is a problem we see often at E3 Chiropractic + Wellness in Saskatoon: people who are dedicated to their workouts but unknowingly sabotage their progress by how they move—or don’t move—at work.
Let’s face it: your body doesn’t clock out when your workday starts. The hours you spend sitting, slouching, or moving inefficiently during the day directly impact how well you recover and how well you move at the gym.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to move better at work so you can train harder, smarter, and with fewer injuries.
The Disconnect Between Work Posture and Workout Performance
Whether you work at a desk, in a vehicle, or on your feet, modern work environments are filled with repetitive postures and limited movement. The human body wasn’t designed to sit all day—but most of us do just that.
The result?
- Tight hips and hamstrings
- Weak glutes and core
- Rounded shoulders and forward head posture
- Stiff thoracic spine
- Poor spinal segmentation and control
Then, when you hit the gym after work and ask your body to lift heavy, run fast, or move explosively—your joints and muscles are already compromised. That’s when technique breaks down, pain creeps in, and performance stalls.
At E3 Chiropractic + Wellness, we see a direct link between workplace habits and gym injuries, especially in the lower back, shoulders, and knees.
3 Common Workday Habits That Hurt Your Workouts
Let’s highlight three of the biggest culprits we assess in our Saskatoon clinic:
1. Prolonged Sitting
Extended periods of sitting can shorten your hip flexors, weaken your glutes, and reduce core engagement. This combination wreaks havoc on your posture and stability—two key components of safe, efficient lifting and running mechanics.
When your glutes don’t fire properly, your lower back and hamstrings are forced to pick up the slack. That’s why many people experience low back pain or hamstring pulls even with good training technique.
2. Forward Head and Rounded Shoulders
Typing at a laptop, scrolling your phone, or slumping in meetings encourages your head to drift forward and shoulders to roll in. Over time, this leads to upper back stiffness and decreased shoulder mobility—two things you absolutely need for effective pressing, pulling, or overhead work.
It also places more stress on your neck and mid-back, which may lead to headaches, neck pain, or even nerve-related symptoms down the arms.
3. Lack of Movement Variety
Repetitive tasks (even standing) with limited variety can create muscular imbalances and joint stiffness. If you only move in one direction or plane all day, your body loses the ability to move fluidly in others—which shows up when you try to squat, twist, or jump.
How to Move Better at Work (So You Can Crush It at the Gym)
Improving your movement at work doesn’t require an expensive desk setup or fancy routine. It comes down to awareness, consistency, and small, intentional changes.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Take Micro-Breaks Every 30–60 Minutes
Set a timer or use an app to remind you to move every hour. It doesn’t need to be long—just 2 to 5 minutes of purposeful movement can undo a lot of desk damage.
Try:
- Standing up and walking around your office
- Doing 10 air squats or wall angels
- Stretching your hip flexors and calves
- Rolling your shoulders and wrists
These breaks improve circulation, loosen stiff joints, and re-engage key muscles that help with posture and movement quality.
2. Upgrade Your Posture Awareness
You don’t need to “sit up straight” all day (that’s exhausting and unrealistic), but you should vary your posture throughout the day and bring more awareness to your setup.
Posture tips:
- Keep your screen at eye level to avoid neck strain
- Use a lumbar roll or towel for low back support
- Sit with feet flat on the floor, knees slightly below hips
- Avoid crossing legs or leaning into one hip
- Try a sit-stand desk or work surface if possible
As a trusted Saskatoon Chiropractor, we often perform ergonomic assessments and provide custom recommendations for posture that aligns with each patient’s spine, movement needs, and daily habits.
3. Incorporate Mobility into Your Day
Don’t save all your stretching or mobility work for after your workout. Doing it during the day can “pre-load” your body with movement quality so you’re not starting from zero when you train.
Mobility moves to try at your desk:
- Seated thoracic extension: Sit tall, clasp hands behind head, and arch gently over the backrest
- Neck CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations): Slowly circle your neck through full range
- Ankle rocks: Rock forward and back through your ankles while seated
- 90/90 hip switches: A seated hip mobility drill you can do on a mat or soft surface
If you're unsure where to start, our team at E3 Chiropractic + Wellness can help assess your movement patterns and create a targeted mobility routine for your day-to-day life.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Go From Zero to 100
One of the most common mistakes we see is this: going from being sedentary all day straight into an intense workout. Your nervous system and muscles aren’t ready for that kind of transition.
Instead, give yourself a 10–15 minute warm-up that includes:
- Joint mobility
- Core and glute activation
- Movement-specific prep for your workout
Not only will you move better—you’ll reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance. We’ve seen countless gym-goers in Saskatoon improve lifts and decrease pain just by adjusting how they transition from their workday to workout.
Why E3 Chiropractic + Wellness Cares About How You Move at Work
At E3 Chiropractic + Wellness, we don’t just treat pain—we help you build a stronger, more resilient body that works with your life, not against it.
As a leading Saskatoon Chiropractor, our goal is to help you:
- Identify movement imbalances caused by your job
- Restore proper joint and spinal mechanics
- Reduce workplace stress on your body
- Perform better in the gym with fewer setbacks
If you’re constantly sore, stiff, or stuck in a cycle of minor injuries—your desk job might be the hidden cause. And the good news? You can change that, starting today.
Ready to Move Better All Day?
Don’t wait for pain to force you to pay attention. Your workday movement habits are shaping your spine, your performance, and your long-term health—whether you realize it or not.
Let’s fix it.
Click HERE to book your free discovery call with the team at E3 Chiropractic + Wellness. We’ll help you assess how your work routine is impacting your body and build a plan that supports both your job and your fitness goals.
Your body does more than work. Let’s make sure it moves well doing all of it.
