You wake up ready to tackle the day, but by mid-afternoon, you feel drained, foggy, and struggling to stay focused. You might chalk it up to a busy schedule, lack of sleep, or just the reality of juggling work and family, but what if your posture is playing a bigger role in your exhaustion than you realise? Lets discuss the often overlooked link between poor posture and fatigue, in this blog.
As an executive mom, you spend hours hunched over a laptop, sitting in meetings, or carrying kids and bags and over time, poor posture doesn’t just lead to discomfort. It directly affects your energy levels, mental clarity, and even productivity. Here’s how posture impacts your fatigue and what you can do to fix it:
Poor Posture Interferes With Breathing Mechanics, Making You More Tired:
When you slouch, the chest compresses, restricting your lungs from fully expanding due to poor mobility of the diaphragm. Diaphragm is the main muscle for breathing that sits directly under the lungs. This in turn leads to poor ventilation at the lungs and a reduced respiratory capacity. In addition to this, the secondary muscles of breathing such as the scalenes, trapezius and sternocleidomastoid are used to compensate. These muscles usually come into action in situations such as running, sports etc and not in everyday use. Their excessive everyday use can make them tense, making the shoulder and neck area tense and tired.
Tips to manage:
- Sit or stand with your shoulders back, chest open, and head aligned over your spine.
- Take deep belly breaths every hour to recruit the diaphragm and reset your energy.
Misalignment Causes Muscle Fatigue & Energy Drain:
Your body is designed to stay balanced with minimal effort. But when you sit or stand with poor posture, certain muscles work overtime to compensate, leading to premature fatigue.
Tips to manage:
- Check your posture throughout the day - your ears, shoulders, and hips should be aligned.
- Use a lumbar cushion or ergonomic chair to reduce strain while sitting.
Poor Posture Triggers Stress & Mental Fatigue:
Your posture directly affects your mood and stress levels. When your body is in a slumped position, your nervous system interprets this as stress, increasing cortisol levels and leaving you feeling drained.
Tips to manage:
- Take 2-minute posture resets throughout the day - stand tall, roll your shoulders back, and take a deep breath.
- Incorporate gentle movement breaks to refresh your energy and reduce tension.
Watch this video to lean "5 easy Tips to Prevent Postural Fatigue and Brain Fog While Managing a High-Stress Job"
If you’re constantly feeling fatigued despite getting enough sleep and eating well, your posture might be the missing piece. The good news? Simple, science-backed posture adjustments can instantly boost your energy, improve focus, and help you feel stronger throughout the day.
Want an easy way to correct posture and beat daily fatigue? I share some quick, practical strategies to help you energised, without adding more to your already full schedule in this free guide on 'How to maintain good posture while working from home' HERE.
If you like this blog and want to be notified about new blogs as soon as they are published, subscribe to my mailing list below.
I would love to see you around the internet! For other places you can explore more about me: https://withswati.com/page/link
0 Comments