Posture Hacks for Busy Moms: Stay Upright While Multitasking

Moms are masters of multitasking, but sometimes to the detriment of their own health. When others’ care is put before your own, you will inevitably start to feel it. You may notice increased aches in your body, new levels of fatigue, and negative impacts on your mental health. 

As a mom you can’t just overhaul your life, but you can take small steps to improve your daily routine. Over time, these little changes can have profound effects. One place to start? Your posture.

Along with increasing your risk for neck and back pain, poor posture has a number of unexpected side effects that can make motherhood less inspiring and far more exhausting. Posture care for mothers requires minor changes in the way you move and multitask. Below are some quick posture fixes for moms to help you look and feel better and enjoy some much-deserved stress relief.

Common Posture Challenges for Busy Moms

Between the fun things (laughing, playing, and cuddling with your kids) and all the other things (picking up toys, running errands, furiously sending that last email), being a mom is a physical challenge like no other. You’re constantly bending, twisting, pushing, and pulling your body in every direction. During these whirlwind days it can be hard to maintain good posture.

Physical Strain and Back Pain from Multitasking 

When you’re multitasking, you’re not always at your most mindful. This is when spills happen and accidents occur. When your stress levels are high, your body responds by tensing up, making you more susceptible to back pain and discomfort, muscle strains, and potentially more serious injuries.    

The Benefits of Proper Posture for Active Moms

Optimal posture puts the least amount of stress on your body. When you practice good posture, your body works more efficiently, allowing you to put more of your energy into being a mom and taking care of yourself. With good posture comes benefits, such as:

• Reduced neck and back pain 
• Increased lung capacity
• Boosted energy and confidence
• Better focus
• Increased productivity
• Improved digestion

This all sounds great, right? Below, learn some healthy posture practices for working moms.

Quick and Effective Posture Tips for Active Moms

We know you’ve got a thousand and one things on your plate right now, so we’ll keep this simple. Here are some practical posture hacks for moms—all doable no matter how hectic your schedule.

Find Your Optimal Alignment

What does good posture look like and feel like and how can you maintain it throughout the day? Some ways to practice proper posture include:

• Keep your chin parallel to the ground.
• Relax your shoulders and think about drawing the shoulder blades together.
• Engage your core.
• Tuck your pelvis slightly in. 
• Avoid crossing your legs when sitting.
• Distribute weight evenly through the feet when standing.

Keep in mind that good posture doesn’t literally mean standing and sitting up completely straight—this doesn’t account for the natural curves in your spine. Instead, think of an imaginary line running from your ears to your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. Is that line relatively straight? 

Source: Backpro Integrated Health Clinic

A quick way to test your standing posture is to stand against a wall. Keep your ears in line with your shoulders, rest your shoulder blades and bottom against the wall, and position your feet shoulder-width apart and a few inches from the wall. You should be able to place your hand behind the small of your back, but have very little wiggle room to do so.

Practice Posture-Friendly Habits

Forming good posture habits requires way less effort than you may think. Try these: 

• Be mindful of good posture. This may seem obvious, but regularly doing a quick scan of your body to check your posture will help you build good muscle memory so that you can sit, stand, and move with good alignment more naturally. Wearing a posture bra can also help you maintain proper posture and correct muscular imbalances.

• Take breaks often. When you’re in the groove, this can be a hard rule to follow, but it will ultimately make you feel better and more productive. Try to set aside a few minutes per hour to take some deep breaths or do a couple of quick stretches. Set an alarm or reminder if it helps.

• Learn proper lifting techniques. Whether you’re picking up a lego or a child, you should always bend at your knees (not your waist) and keep your back straight.

• Move your body. Doing simple exercises and stretches on a regular basis will help relieve tension, reduce back pain, and improve your posture. Try these 9 posture-improving stretches and exercises, including child’s pose, forward fold, and planks.

If you were already practicing how to sit and stand with good posture during pregnancy, a lot of these habits should come naturally.

Try Supportive Accessories for Extra Back Care

We all need a little extra boost sometimes. Here are some of our favorite accessories to help promote good posture for mothers:

• Supportive shoes with good arch support
• Ergonomic tools, like a nursing pillow and baby carrier
• A comfortable, adjustable posture corrector, like Etalon

Let’s dig more into the benefits of using a posture bra.

 

 

How the Etalon Posture Bra Supports Active Moms

Along with establishing the habits above, another way to promote good posture for mothers is to wear a posture corrector. A posture bra like Etalon works by evenly distributing the weight in your chest and supporting your upper body to alleviate stress and strain on your back and shoulders. It also helps you build muscle memory to help your body find proper alignment with and without extra support.  

Benefits of the Etalon Posture Corrector for Busy Moms

Regularly wearing a posture corrector throughout your busy day can help:

• Improve posture and back health
• Alleviate neck and back pain from poor posture
• Reduce fatigue and boost energy
• Lower the risk of chronic headaches and poor digestion
• Improve breathing efficiency
• Enhance productivity

As the posture bra draws your shoulder blades together and opens your chest, you’ll breathe better, move easier, and feel more confident.

Our Top Posture Tips for Busy Moms

Ok, quick recap. Here are our main tips for maintaining good posture for active moms:

• Learn to sit and stand with good posture.
• Practice picking things (and kids!) up with proper technique.
• Take short breaks to incorporate quick stretches and exercises throughout your day.
• Invest in ergonomic footwear and tools like nursing pillows and baby carries.
• Wear a posture corrector for extra support.

Overall, better posture will help take some literal stress off of you. What else can a busy mom ask for?

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