Last week I wrote about the importance of creating STABILITY in your body, an often under appreciated aspect of our health and fitness.
Why is stability so important? Strength without stability is like shooting a canon of a canoe. It is a recipe for disaster. If you want to read it, I have saved it on our website and you can read it here.
This week I want to talk to you about an often overlooked aspect of our wellness. Something we take for granted until it is gone, MOBILITY.
If you are tight you aren’t able to do all the things you used to do, and that doesn’t feel good. Some of the most basic tasks in life can be lost when we lose our mobility. Tying our shoes, putting on a bra, getting in and out of a car, getting up and down off the floor…such simple things can be gone without you even realizing it. So not only is mobility good for your body it is also good for your mind and your self esteem and your independence. The other side is that a stiff joint is a sore joint and so movement helps lubricate our joints and reduces our pain.
And so, I wanted to share with you the best mobility exercise I know. This beauty targets your hips, your hamstrings, your quadriceps, your spine and your shoulders. I call it the Worlds Greatest Stretch. If you are a client of mine, guaranteed I’ve made you do this for a warm up or two! lol
The Worlds Greatest Stretch
If you can comfortably do the above try taking it to the next level!
What I love about the Worlds Greatest Stretch is that it opens up so many areas of the body at once. But if you want to go a bit deeper try the next two as well.
The Open Book Stretch
The next one, Open Book, is the same, except for with the chest. It gives you a bigger pec (chest) stretch and spinal rotation than the Worlds Greatest does.
The Half Kneeling Adductor Stretch
The Half Kneeling Adductor Stretch takes over in the inner thigh where the Worlds Greatest leaves off, it gives you a bigger groin stretch.
If you feel tight or want to maintain your mobility, try adding 10 repetitions of these exercises every day, maybe a couple of times a day. They are great just when you wake up, before you workout or at the end of the day! Let me know if you try them and what you think!
