Mobility
Over the next few months we’re going to work on adopting one of the most important issues related to health today. The issue of Mobility. I feel that regarding overall health, lack of flexibility, and mobility leads to more; lower back issues, knee issues, shoulder problems and neck issues that I come across consistently with my clients, family, and friends. Getting to know the body, and how to self-correct alignment issues is one of the more invaluable skills you can add to your wellness toolkit. Because when it comes to the body, it’s not a matter of if we will go out of alignment but a matter of when.
If you are like most people who sit a lot, drive a lot, work a lot at your computer, your body is being held in a poor postural position, this leads to inflexibility in the front of your hips and back of your legs. With tight hip flexors and hamstrings and a weak lower back it’s no wonder 70% of Americans suffer from lower back pain. This is not the position your body was designed for. Your body was meant to move, to be upright, mobile. Remember this mantra: “sitting is like sugar for the body’ the more you sit the worse it is for you, but for as much as one may sit, stretching the shortened muscles frequently is key to helping stay in better alignment.
Over the next few months we will be adopting ONE THING for you to habituate in your daily routine. We are going to be starting with; 1- making time, getting to know the body 2- Stretching, Basic and more dynamic stretching, 3- MFR (Myofascial Release), self-tissue release with foam rolls, + lacrosse balls, 4- Squat Sits 5- Improving Shoulder Flexibility. I’m going to break this up into a five-part series. If you do the homework and stay on your mobility routines, you will not only improve your flexibility, you will also be releasing tension on your joints and working to allow the body do what it naturally wants to do—and that is heal itself.
With improved flexibility you will have an increased range of motion (which will allow you to transition more effectively into any strength program), increased blood flow to all the tissues in the body, and better joint support with a release of tension imbalances. — If I can get the image in your minds that the body is merely a “puppet on strings.” Your strings being muscles that’s sole function is to contract or “pull” the limbs of the puppet this way and that. Muscle tightness or shortening of our “strings” pulls on the skeletal system and joints as would a limp puppet. You can see why alignment and flexibility is a core issue to focus on before, during, and after adopting any strength, sport, or activity. It’s essential to overall wellness.
These blogs will be going over general principles—you can always go deeper into your knowledge and understanding of movement by doing a little web research. Of course with all of the advice given, you must use your own discretion, make sure you are clear for activity by a physician before starting any new exercise routine. If you have any questions regarding your homework or are curious about another topic related to fitness/wellness, Feel free to contact me directly at scott@isleypersonalfitness.com
Now…Your Homework for the Month:
Find 10 minutes a day
It’s that simple! Preferably first thing in the morning — No emails/no phone calls/no family/no pets. Ten minutes of just YOU time to get to know your body and play with some of the stretches that you know. Give each stretch 1 to 2 minutes – set a timer. Go for a light tension (4 to 5 out of 10 discomfort and hold) Also, breathing is very important when stretching. Take large slow rib-expanding breathes, and exhale easily for the duration of your 1-2 minutes. If you don’t know any stretches, I want you to adopt these three stretches in your routine for now:
Hip Flexor
Hamstring
Lower Back
You can also go online to spend five minutes researching new stretches or go to facebook.com/carlsbadpersonaltraining and scroll through the posts you will find more there.
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By habituating your ten minutes daily you will be laying the foundation for scheduling your most important time of the day, mobility and relaxation. This makes EVERYTHING easier. Comment and post, and let me know how you do.
To your health,
Scott
Scott Isley
NSCA, NESTA CPT.
Courses in Diet and Exercise Physiology and Human Anatomy at UCLA
Scott has worked as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach for the past 10 years accumulating 8,000 hours helping clients get healthy. He currently runs his business out of Carlsbad, CA in San Diego. You can find out more by visiting:
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