Have you noticed that you feel stiff, tired, and crunchy? Maybe you’re looking for ways to increase your flexibility? Maybe you’ve heard that you need more mobility in your joints and you’re not really sure what that means. The journey to better flexibility and mobility can be a long and confusing one, but I’m here to hopefully un-muddy the waters for you. The first step is to explore what both flexibility and mobility are, and what makes them different and special. Then I’ll share why you should add both to your daily life!

Flexibility:

Flexibility is defined as the quality of bending easily without breaking. What this means in real life is that the more stretchy you are, the less likely you are to pull muscles and hurt your joints. When muscles and joints become more flexible, there is also the potential to increase the strength and the stability of your joints!

When your joints are stronger and more stable, you will experience fewer aches and pains, less injuries, and greater balance as time goes on. If you work at a job that requires you to spend a lot of time sitting or driving, you may notice that you have a lot of tightness, and maybe a little pain, in your hips and low back, or potentially your shoulders. A bit of stretching (flexibility training) can help relieve that tightness and reduce or even prevent more pain.

Mobility:

Mobility is defined as being able to move easily and freely, and being able to have full control of your joints through their entire range of motion. Mobility is a kind of strength that comes from being able to move through different ranges of motion slowly and confidently. Mobility training will also reduce pain and help eliminate stiffness. Mobility training is best done in a slow and controlled manner, which allows your joints to move through the full range of motion, while you find and figure out where they stick!

Benefits:

Having the opportunity to lower your chances of injury, less pain, more energy, better blood and lymphatic flow, and stronger posture are all benefits of adding both flexibility and mobility routines into your daily life.

Movement of any kind will help increase blood and lymph flow, which in turn can help reduce inflammation and help raise your immune system by flushing out any potential toxins and build up in your system! (more on this in a couple weeks)

All of this comes down to learning which your body needs more of and learning how to add it into your daily life. Neither one is better than the other, especially since they go hand in hand, and you can’t really have one without the other!

Adding Mobility and Flexibility to your daily life:

Adding any kind of fitness routine to your life may seem daunting in the beginning, but here I will share a few simple options to get you started on your journey!

• See a Chiropractor! Most chiropractors have training in rehabilitation exercises that are designed to improve both mobility and flexibility. A good chiropractor will be able to help get you started on your journey, and point you in the correct direction to keep you going.
• Join a gym. This might seem like a daunting task, but trust me, its not quite as scary as it seems. Many gyms will have mobility classes designed for beginners to start using a gym and training properly.
• Take a yoga or Pilates class! This is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve started recording some of the routines that I use regularly so that I can share them with you all!