Can Slouching Cause Shortness of Breath?
For executive mums, balancing a demanding work schedule with family responsibilities often means long hours at the desk or slouched over mobile devices. This habitual posture not only leads to typical back or neck pain but can also cause unexpected symptoms like shortness of breath. If you're experiencing this and have ruled out medical issues, you might be puzzled about why it's happening. Let's delve into how your posture can significantly impact your breathing.
 
forward head posture is the most prevalent form of poor posture, increasingly observed not just among those who work at desks but also among younger generations glued to their mobile phones. This posture can lead to a variety of symptoms including neck, jaw, and shoulder pain, headaches, dizziness and even spinal changes that contribute to arounded upper back and aslouched lower back. Interestingly, these postural changes can also lead to shortness of breath, linking how you hold your body directly to how well you can breathe.

Breathing might seem straightforward: we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, but the mechanics involve more than just the lungs. The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle sitting right under the lungs, plays a crucial role as the main muscle of respiration, handling about 80% of the work during relaxed breathing. When you sit in a slouched posture, your abdomen is compressed, reducing the space for your organs to move. This limits the diaphragm's and intercostal muscles' ability to fully expand the lungs, resulting in reduced lung capacity and less oxygen intake. The consequence is shallow chest breathing, which places undue stress on the upper shoulder and neck muscles. These muscles are not designed to handle the breaths we take daily and can quickly become fatigued and tired.
 
Interestingly, research into breathing patterns and emotions has revealed that a slumped posture can induce feelings of sadness. However, the empowering news is that by altering your posture and breathing pattern, you can also change your emotional state. 
 
If you are looking to enhance your health and mood, focusing on posture could be a significant first step. Small adjustments in your sittingstanding and sleeping postures can profoundly affect your overall well-being and your ability to lead a vibrant, pain-free life. By becoming aware of and modifying your posture, you can improve not only physical symptoms like shortness of breath but also your general mood and outlook.

HERE is a free guide for you to 'How can you maintain a good posture while working from home?' It has simple tips and modifications that can help avoid neck pain while working from your home or your office.

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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