Get Off The Drain Train

Pinpoint the surprises depleting your energy and recharge those batteries, stat!

- Clare Baxter

The drainer

DODGY POSTURE

That colleague who always tuts when they see you hunching at your desk? Eyeroll – but they do have a point. Turns out, the way we hold ourselves can majorly zap our energy stores. “When your posture’s poor, your endocrine system struggles to have a predominance of serotonin in the body, which helps you to feel vital and energised,” explains Dell-Maree Day, biomechanics expert and founder of The Invisible Exercise, a posture training technique. The result? “You have an imbalance in hormones that makes you go through those ups and downs throughout the day.”

Your move Shift forward at your desk so your bum is sitting on the front half of the chair. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor with your heels under your knees, which should be about 10cm apart. “Look straight ahead and think to yourself, ‘I’d like to sit as tall and relaxed as possible,’” says Day. “As you think that, you’ll feel your spine starts to stack itself up as the natural curve of your spine is reinstated.” Do this for 30 seconds every half hour at first, then increase to every 20, then 15 minutes. Eventually your body will naturally stay in this position. Not sure you’re doing it right? Wearable posture trainer Upright GO vibrates if you’re off course.

The drainer

SWERVING FAT