Mobility 101

March 15, 2021

Limited mobility is pretty common these days. The way I see it is, it’s a symptom of modern living. It’s very easy in our society to be too comfortable, too sedentary, and have too many conveniences. Those long drive-thru lines make me cringe. We go from plush sofa to a cushy bed to the driver’s seat of a car day after day. Mobility isn’t tapped into in typical life. 

The good news is the human body is dynamic – it can change if we give it right action. Here are five ways to gain greater mobility: 

  1. Stretch  – obviously, increasing your muscle’s pliability is going to help with mobility, so take time everyday to consciously stretch. Think of stretching as a love letter to yourself…and be sure to place special attention on the spinal ranges of motion and shoulder area. (Workouts that provide stretch are doubly great.)
  2. Ditch the furniture – broaden your comfort zone. Have you ever gone camping? Do you know how many deep squats you do when you’ve got to pitch a tent, collect firewood and go to the bathroom in the great outdoors? As you may know, I’m a fan of sitting on the floor…it’s particularly great for knee mobility. 
  3. Massage  – self-massage tight areas in your body, like your knee and shoulders. Everyday I instinctively rub my knees. By rubbing my knees, I check in on them and make sure they aren’t holding unwanted tension. 
  4. Loosen up your joints – shoulder loops, hip circles, foot wiggles, and hanging forward folds….do these types of softening, lubricating moves everyday – really great for keeping things loose.
  5. Calm down – stress tightens us, so it’s very important to de-stress on the daily. Take a bath, watch the sunset, meditate, play with a kitten, and don’t watch the news. The mind/body connection is very apparent when it comes to our stress-mobility relationship. 

I will end with a very motivating statement: mobility is de-aging. Because it promotes health to every system of the body, it creates a youthful vibe. The 80 year old sitting cross-legged with ease in yoga class restores my faith. Proof that modern life doesn’t have to be detrimental to our vitality…so let’s go. Let’s move. And let’s be mobile!