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Mobility – Basic Theory

 tagged flexibility / mobility / stretching benefits
Mobility
Desired Functions
  • enough range of motion that allows the mechanical chain of the whole body to work unhindered
  • normal range of motion is essential for proprioception (knowing where your body parts are in space)
  • balanced range of motion on opposing sides to enable equal distribution of pressure
Potential Issues
  • reduced range of motion can break the stability of the linked areas
  • it’s more difficult to maintain or establish proper posture if you can’t feel what’s where
  • you might feel like your body is level on opposite sides if the range of motion is different on 2 sides
Solutions and Workarounds
  • Stretch regularly and after every workout to increase and maintain normal range of motion. Spend more time on problem areas.
  • Use a mirror for visual feedback until you gain proprioception, gain muscle memory of the natural posture, and balance the opposites.
  • Stick to no-weight or bodyweight exercises until major mobility issues are resolved to prevent injuries and potentially practicing incorrect patterns. This is a good opportunity to work on neuromuscular training involving more repetitions, focusing on the quality and fine details of the movement.
  • Hold positions where you feel restricted a bit longer and visualize breathing into the affected area to help soften it.

Why / How / How much Flexibility?

Who Needs Flexibility?

Everybody.

Flexibility is needed to perform everyday activities comfortably. Picking up something from the floor, lifting children, sitting down and getting up all require adequate level of flexibility.

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, flexibility often declines with age. Daily activities of living become more difficult to perform without the “normal” flexibility. Our movement and postural habits can lead to diminished mobility in the joints and chronic postural problems due to compromisations caused by this. For example, chronic back pain is often related to reduced mobility in the hips.

What Are The Benefits of Flexibility?

  • More pliable muscles means reduced risk of injury.
  • Better performance in sports, exercise, and activities of daily living.
  • Proper, uninhibited body mechanics mean lower stress and higher strength produced in the joints during all kinds of movements.
  • Better balance and coordination due to properly functioning proprioceptors.
  • Tension developed during the workout can be released.
  • Blood flow can return to normal while stretching during cooldown after a workout for better transition to daily activities.
  • Flexibility exercises can be combined with breathing to help reduce mental stress, improve awareness and ability to focus, therefore “unleash” you both internally and externally.

How to Stretch Properly?


It depends on the goals, but for most people a gentle, full body stretching routine will provide all the benefits.

Over-stretching has no benefits. Work within your limits, even if your limit is far below the healthy, natural range. You will improve in time with gentle, gradual exercises.

Breathing should be comfortable while stretching. Don’t hold the breath. Relax into the stretch deeper as you exhale.

Perform whole body stretches daily. Your focus might be to improve one area only, but spending a few extra minutes will help the whole body maintain mobility. This is one of the recommendations by fitness authorities for maintaining a healthy body.

Warm up the muscles before stretching for at least 5-10 minutes. Ideal time to do stretching is after cardiorespiratory exercises.

Adjust exercises to your own needs. If performing a stretch is painful, you can look for different versions to work the same muscle groups. For example if you want to stretch hamstrings, but your calves are too stiff, you can break this into 2 different exercises to work each group within its own limit. Or you can increase the challenge by performing the stretch while balancing on one leg. As you become more aware of the limits of your body, you can increase the intensity by adding more resistance or different techniques.

If you don’t like doing stretching, look for activities that have stretching and relaxation integrated, such as yoga, Pilates, meditation, tai chi, and breathing.

Prevention is the best cure

“If exercise could be packed in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation. ”

– Robert N. Butler –

Sometimes we are not sure about what we want, but it’s easier to tell what we don’t want. We don’t want to feel bad physically or emotionally.

There is scientific evidence that doing regular exercise can reduce or prevent:

  • soreness / stiffness / lethargy due to lack of movement during daily life
  • feeling cold all the time due to lack of muscle activity and slowed blood circulation
  • feeling embarrassed due to inability to perform movements / activities that most people can do
  • unhealthy body fat percentage
  • depression, anxiety, stress, and other mood disorders
  • injurious falls
  • incorrect movement patterns that might lead to serious injuries or lower performance levels
  • negative self-esteem, body-image, self-worth due to physical or psychological reasons
  • healthcare costs
  • postural problems

Physical activity isn’t like some insurance that is paid in advance out of fear of the future. It is a way of enjoying the present moment in a way that can contribute to the future well being. But don’t wait for the future, it starts now. The “winning” starts with the first step to break inertia, the decision moment to take a stretch break during office hours instead of another visit to grab an unhealthy snack, the trial class at the local gym, the hike in the mountains instead of watching TV…

Then the next steps are developing lifestyle habits to prevent daily battles using up the willpower. When there is a healthy daily routine, everything flows more effortlessly.