Mobility Matters

Welcome back, y’all! If you’re new here, once you’ve read this blog - be sure to check out my previous blogs on Habit Tracking, Hydration and Sleep. 

I like to start things off with a definition or two…

Flexibility (noun): the ability of joints, muscles, and soft tissues to move through full range of motion without pain.

Mobility (noun): the quality or state of being mobile or movable. Ability or capacity to move.

When it comes to flexibility and mobility, two things I’ve commonly heard from new members over the last 12+ years are: 

“I want to be able to touch my toes.”

“I’d like to be able to get up and down off of the floor without assistance.”

Being able to get in and out of everyday positions easily and comfortably affords us a better quality of life year after year. A 2012 study shows that being able to sit and rise from the floor without assistance is a predictor of how long you’ll live. I don’t know about you, but I don’t take that lightly. 

“Annals of Internal Medicine published a study of 8,000 adults that showed an association between prolonged sitting and a risk of early death from any cause. (People who sat for no more than 30 minutes at a time had the lowest risk in that study.) Other research has linked prolonged sitting or other sedentary behavior to diabetes, poor heart health, weight gain, depression, dementia, and multiple cancers.” -Kathy Katela, Yale Medicine

Many of us sit at desks for several hours a day in positions far from ideal. We aren’t meant to sit for long periods of time. Sitting for too long can result in weak leg and glute muscles, since we aren’t depending on our legs to hold us up. We can also experience tight hips from shortened hip flexors as a result of staying seated for too long. Poor posture while seated can cause disc compression in your spine as well as a stiff neck and shoulders. Due to the poor circulation of blood while seated, we can also experience the development of varicose veins, spider veins, or more seriously deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which is a blood clot in the legs. 

“But I work at a desk all day, Abrie…what do you expect me to do?” you say. We have to find ways to counter the negative impacts of staying seated for extended periods. If you’re able to transition to a standing desk, I’d highly recommend it - but I know not all of us have that sort of flexibility in our work environment. My next suggestion is to start with 15 minutes of intentional mobility every day. Committing to as little as 15 minutes daily can provide significant positive changes over the long term. Personally, I use the Pliability app for a guided practice at home each day. I either perform their daily mobility routine or choose one based on my needs for that day. There are many free options available on YouTube and some of my personal favorites are:

The Ready State with Dr. Kelly Starrett

Yoga with Adriene

If you don't have time for a full 15 minutes yet, you can simply start by setting a timer to stretch, adjust your posture, or take a short walk. These breaks help with creativity and problem solving. Your work and productivity improve when you take care of yourself physically. 

Long before I started a strength and conditioning program, I practiced yoga (later obtaining my registered yoga teacher certification in 2012). Committing time to my yoga practice gave me a strong foundation rooted in mobility and allowed me to achieve positions like the squat, lunge, pistol, and handstand with relative ease. I’m here to tell you, if you spend time focusing on mobility, it will pay off. This is precisely why we dedicate time to mobility inside of our Strength & Conditioning Classes - be it in the warm-up, cooldown, or the main event.