Mobility - What? Why? When? How?!

Improving mobility requires consistent structure, practice & effort!

Written By Daniel Wray (Sports Physiotherapist & Mobility Coach)

What is mobility?

Mobility is the ability to move freely and easily, encompassing physical movement, flexibility, balance, and environment access.

Mobility is vital for daily activities and exercise, impacting overall performance and quality of life.

Improving mobility enhances physical function, reduces injury risk, and fosters independence. Prioritising mobility supports long-term health and well-being.

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5 barriers to mobility practice

1. Physical Limitations
   Joint pain, muscle weakness, and neurological issues can hinder mobility exercises.

2. Psychological Factors
   Anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation can create fear of injury, impacting engagement.

3. Access to Resources
   Limited facilities, equipment, or expert access restrict effective mobility practice.

4. Knowledge and Awareness
   Lack of understanding about mobility's benefits inhibits participation.

5. Environmental Barriers
   Poorly designed spaces and clutter discourage movement, obstructing mobility practice.

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stop sitting & start moving!

Sitting Is the New Smoking!

In our experience the main cause of reduced mobility and increased joint pain and stiffness is a sedentary job or lifestyle. Sitting for over 40 hours a week leads to negative consequences. What we see regularly in clinic is huge frustration from people in this situation who do actively find time for exercise, sport & gym classes.

“I go to the gym 4 times a week so why am I so stiff & sore?”

The problem with modern life stresses and lack of time mean many of us compartmentalise exercise to one point in the day for perhaps 1-2 hours. Out with that we are too static often sitting or standing at desks for long unbroken periods. Structured & planned exercise classes or sport is great but we must also find ways to inject short, varied, but regular amounts of movement into our everyday activities.

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Tips to improve Mobility practice

Prioritise Side bends & Rotational Plane Movements

1. Incorporate Daily Stretching & Mobility Flows
   Dedicate at least 10-15 minutes each day to stretching. Focus on major muscle groups and areas that typically feel tight, such as the hips, shoulders, and spine. Consistency is key to improving flexibility and joint mobility.

2. Engage in Mobility-Focused Activities
   Activities such as yoga, Pilates, and tai chi are excellent for enhancing mobility. These practices encourage controlled movements and can help increase your range of motion, balance, and overall physical awareness.

3. Incorporate Micro Breaks

   Aim to move for 2-3 minutes every hour as a minimum. Large simple movements of all major joints helps to create pressure changes and encourage healthy fluid balance in our tissues and joints reducing the cumulative build up of static postures.

4. Include Dynamic Warm-ups
   Before engaging in physical activity, perform dynamic warm-up exercises. Movements like leg swings, arm circles, and torso twists can prepare your body for more strenuous activity and promote better mobility throughout your workout.

5. Prioritise Functional Movements
   A strong body is able to move in all planes of motion. A lot of gym exercises and routines can be too hinge like and robotic in nature failing to promote adequate movements in all planes. Incorporate good accessory training to include rotational, side bend and functional movements.

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Example Mobility Flows For Daily Practice

Back Mobility Exercise Flow - Try this routine to gently mobilise your spine

Hip Mobility Flow - Try this exercise flow to mobilise and loosen up stiff hips

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We love a 3 Point Bridge. Movement is medicine, start taking yours!

Summary

Improving mobility and reducing pain & stiffness is no simple task but it can be done! Take positive action and start today dedicating time for movement and stretching as often as you can. Spend some time analysing your current practice and training and see where you can improve.

We help people improve mobility & reduce pain and stiffness on a daily basis. If you need help to understand your needs and to design & implement a plan unique to your goals we can help!

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thank you

Thanks for reading, please share with any friends, family or colleagues who could benefit.

We are always here to listen & help. Our specialist team can help you navigate and manage any ache, pain or injury.

You can Use the links to Book an appointment now or Contact us with any questions

Working From Home Survival Guide

Is Working from home breaking you? Do you feel:

WFH health risks are very real

• Stiff and sore?

• back, neck, joint or muscle pains?

• headaches or vision problems?

• overwhelmed?

• fatigued?

• irritable?

• low mood?

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The risks of working from home (WFH) to physical and mental health are significant and real.

If you are feeling any of these issues you are not alone. You need to take positive action now and improve your individual situation. 

Mental health charities recognise the risks to physical and mental health caused by WFH and recommend making action plans.

Below we will list our top tips for how you can act now to prioritise your health. In Summary you need to :

1. MOVE MORE

2. GET ORGANISED

3. OPTIMISE YOUR WORKSPACE

Take Positive Action and Get Organised To Improve Your WFH Situation

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top tip 1 - move more!

The single most important thing you can do to improve your WFH health is to move more. If you roll out of bed, grab a coffee then plant yourself at your desk with no movement or plans to move then you are brewing trouble.  The NHS recommends reducing your sitting time significantly to improve your health and reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes, some cancers and even early death!

Are you already struggling with pain & stiffness in your neck, shoulders, back or hips? Check out these links to our previous blogs for advice, stretching and mobility instructional videos:

Movement Is The Key - Could you try Yoga?

• SHOULDER MOBILITY

• HIP MOBILITY

• BACK MOBILITY

When we are static (sitting or standing still) compressive and dehydrating forces are at work on our joints and soft tissues. All of our major body systems slow down and become sluggish which in the longer term contributes to significant health issues. The phase ‘Sitting Is the new smoking’ has been coined to highlight just how serious the impact of sedentary lifestyles can be

Movement creates positive pressure changes and improved fluid movement through our body as well as stimulating our body systems to be more active and alert. All of this helps to balance and reverse the negative effects of being static. Research shows us that movement and exercise can also help reduce stress and improve your mood.

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Try these ideas:

Make time to move or you will get injured or sore

• Rise earlier - Fit at least 10+ minutes of movement in before you hit the desk

• Step challenge - Set a challenging daily step goal and go about smashing it. You need to prioritise time to walk. Try breaking it up into multiple smaller chunks (10-20 minutes x 2-3) throughout the day

• Take breaks - Do not sit and rust at your desk! Take multiple complete breaks away from your desk and work. Walk, stretch or exercise, it doesn’t really matter, just take a break & move

• Get outside - Combine fresh air & movement. Great for refreshing body & mind

• Exercise for fun - Find something you enjoy and can commit to on at least a semi regular basis (2-3 x per week). Gym, walking, jogging, yoga, swimming etc.

Daily step targets are a great way to increase your activity. Get walking!

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top tip 2 - organise yourself

Set Regular Break / Movement Alarms

Failure to plan is planning to fail! You need to actively organise yourself to make smarter, healthier choices and start reducing the negative impact of WFH.

We are great at making excuses for negative behaviour as it is generally the easier/lazier option. Get organised & remove barriers to promote positive action.

Try these ideas:

• Plan Micro-Breaks - Aim to move away from your work for a minimum of 2-3 minutes every hour. Ideally combine this break with a little movement, stretching & breathing. 2-3 minutes of movement hourly is infinitely more important than trying to undo 8+ hours of static WFH with an end of day workout.

• Set Movement Alarms - Use smart watches, desktop reminders or a simple timer to remind you when it’s time to get up and move. As already mentioned, ideally aim for a few minutes movement every hour as a minimum. Don’t ignore it! Get up and move.

Drink at least 2-3 litres of water every day

• Create Dedicated Space - Dedicate some space at home away from your office or workstation setup to stretch, move & exercise. Get a yoga mat down, gather any small equipment like foam rollers or exercise bands and have it accessible. Removing the barrier of having to get setup each time you want to exercise will significantly increase your compliance

• Measure Water Intake - Aim to drink at least 2 - 3 litres of water a day. Many people are chronically dehydrated and don’t even know it. This contributes massively to muscle and joint pain, headaches and general fatigue. Poor water intake increases your risk of dysfunctional metabolism and chronic diseases. Your tissues and body systems need water to function so give it to them! Use a water bottle to track your consumption and trigger better habits

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top tip 3 - optimise your work space setup

When it comes to WFH there is no perfect workstation setup but you can improve and optimise in some areas. This article by the New York Times gives some further ideas on equipment and optimal desk setup. However, there is no point in forking out thousands on space age chairs and desks if you sit on you butt and barely move for 8+ hours a day.

You can’t buy your way to healthier WFH and you must still prioritise movement, regular breaks and a structure to your day that gives you balance physically and mentally. Once that’s in place see if you can implement some of the following ideas:

Stand Instead of Sit. Use a riser to optimise your screen and mouse position.

• Stand Instead of Sit - Standing is probably the lesser of 2 evils and tends to naturally lead to a bit more movement and reduced pressure on some areas like the neck and lower back. If your work station allows it alternate sit to stand regularly throughout the day

• Use Equipment & Aids - Optimise your sitting & standing postures by utilising equipment. Perhaps your employer can supply equipment such as a desk riser for raising the height of your monitor. Ergonomic chairs and variations of mouse and keyboards are available to promote better positioning and reduce repetitive strain. Access what you can & make arrangements that suit your own setup.

• Stretch & Move - Our bodies love symmetry but unfortunately WFH and office based work in general promotes repetition with repeated postures, positions and static behaviours.

  At risk of repeating ourselves here you need to counter static behaviours by moving your muscles and joints regularly through a large range and routinely in the opposite direction to the postures you adapt while working. For example to counter tightness in the hips and lower back from sitting we should target arching our lower back and lengthening our front hip and thigh muscles. Check out our Mobility blogs and Videos here.

‘Cobra’ Back Bend Stretch

Lunge Hip Opener Stretch

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WFH can be happier and healthier

Summary

It’s time for you to take positive action if you want to improve your WFH situation. Stop making excuses, organise yourself and make healthier choices now to improve your physical and mental well being. It’s up to you!

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thank you

Thanks for reading, please share with any friends, family or colleagues who could benefit.

We are always here to listen & help. Our specialist team can help you navigate and manage any ache, pain or injury.

Use the links below to Book an appointment now or Contact us with any questions

Stiff achy hips? Tightness or weakness and what can you do about it?

Why are my hips sore?

Deep Squat

Chances are if you’re reading this you have at least one hip and at some point it has given you trouble. Hip pain or stiffness has likely gotten in the way of your daily activities or restricted your ability to exercise on more than a few occasions. Our hips are at the centre of our body’s movement, so if they are functioning poorly then our ability to move freely and unrestricted will be compromised. Poor hip function can cause local issues around the hip but often contributes to pain and dysfunction in other areas like the lower back and knees.

The primary reason for developing hip pain for most people is a lack of movement and excessive sedentary behaviour, an all too common theme in our modern lives. You may workout regularly but chances are you still accumulate a lot of static postures through work or leisure and it’s unlikely that your exercise habits routinely explore and work the hip joints and muscles to anywhere near their full range or capacity. Though most hip pain is not serious and can be helped with the right exercise, we recommend consulting a health professional if you are worried or have persistent symptoms.

Modified Pigeon with Active Hip Internal Rotation

Am I Stiff or Weak?

Most likely it’s a combination of both. There is a lot of confusion out there around the terminology of flexibility, mobility and strength. Essentially flexibility can be considered passive and is about the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) ability to temporarily elongate to allow movement through a range while mobility centers around our ability to move through a range of motion with control before becoming restricted. Mobility requires strength to control your flexibility.

Take for example someone who can squat 200 kilos to a parallel depth. This would obviously be considered strong in that range. However if the same individual cannot perform a body-weight squat below parallel depth without falling over or requiring support then we could say they have poor squat mobility. Passively if they can still achieve a deep squat position using some support we can say that they have reasonable flexibility in their soft tissues to allow this. Ideally this individual will work to improve their mobility so that they have better strength to control a greater degree of flexibility i.e they can drop comfortably and controlled into a deep body weight squat without assistance.

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Should I Stretch or Strengthen

Again for most people the answer here is both but the key is identifying exercises that allow you to improve on both simultaneously whilst also offering functional value. Being inflexible is not great as your natural joint range of motion may be restricted and eventually painful. Inflexibility can lead to struggles with basic everyday activities like bending to pick something up or getting in and out of bed or your car. If you are weak then as discussed before you will not be able to control your flexibility or movement again making you more vulnerable to injury and pain.

This is where we need to be smart and specific in identifying our own needs and training with functional goals and targets in mind. You may have great flexibility and touching your toes is a breeze but when asked to do a basic lunge you lack the strength, balance and co-ordination. Conversely as with our example above you may have great strength for lifting weight but only in a limited range and the idea of touching your toes or sitting in a deep squat seems ridiculous. There is no single one recipe to fix all here but in essence mobility training will work both our strength and flexibility needs, we just need to identify the right exercises.

Try this mobility routine we have created to help identify your own personal problem areas. What to you find most difficult and are you struggling due to tightness, weakness or a combination of both?

Up for a challenge? Try this routine a few times and note the 3 exercises or positions which you find most restricted or difficult to perform. Now practice them consistently at lease 3 times per week for the next 4-6 weeks and see what changes and improvements you can achieve

Complete hip mobility routine to improve range of motion and function. Reduce stiffness and aching in hips and back. Unlock the potential of strong mobile hi...

At the bottom of this blog you can see each of the individual exercises that make up our hip mobility routine. Click the link below to download your FREE PDF copy of these exercises including some key tips .

Download Your FREE Hip Mobility Cheatsheet

Hip Mobility Cheatsheet

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Challenge to Change

For the vast majority of people our lives and even our exercise or training keep us moving in basic linear patterns (up and down). We don’t often (if ever) challenge our hips with lateral or rotational exercises and most people end up weak and unstable in these positions compromising their hip health and function. That’s why we designed these routines to explore and challenge these less common positions.

This next video demonstrates 3 more advanced hip mobility exercises that you can try. Please only attempt what you feel able and do not work into pain or through injury. Try the exercises in the video below and see how you feel. Chances are you will find this very tough but they are great exercises to improve overall hip mobility and function so if you feel able add them to your regular routine and with consistent practice you should see real improvements.

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Exercise 1

Seated hip Internal / External Rotation

• Begin in sitting leaning back on straight arms, knees and hips bent and relaxed shoulder width apart with feet flat on floor.

• Gently and with control lower both legs to one side trying to touch the outside of one knee and inside of the other knee to the floor. Don’t worry if this range is too much, just work as far as you feel is challenging but comfortable. Return to start and repeat to opposite side.

• Perform this movement for 60 seconds

1- Floor Sitting, Lean back on hands, high chest

2- Slowly Rotate Both Legs to one side

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Exercise 2

Deep Squat Hip Internal / External Rotation (Advanced Option)

• Begin in a deep squat. Ensure heels remain in contact with the floor

• Slowly rotate one knee across mid-line aiming to touch knee to floor in front of opposite foot which should remain flat with heel on floor. Allow moving leg to rotate up onto toes. Static leg should remain open and avoid any inward collapse of knee/hip position.

• Return leg to starting deep squat position and repeat with opposite leg.

• Repeat with alternate legs for 60 seconds

1- Deep Squat, Heels on floor

2- Deep Squat- Active Hip Rotations

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Exercise 3

Modified Pigeon

• Begin in 90/90 hip and knee position. Gently rotate and square hips up facing forwards

• Gently lean chest forwards through your hips and rotate slowly leaning over the forward knee

• Option to gently contract front leg pushing knee into floor, hold 5-10 seconds and release. Repeat 5-10 times.

• Work into and explore stretch for at least 60 seconds

1- Modified Pigeon 90/90 Sitting

2- Modified Pigeon- forward lean & rotate over front knee

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Exercise 4

Modified Pigeon Active Hip Internal Rotation Lift

• Begin in the modified pigeon 90/90 sit with slight forward lean supporting weight on hands

• Gently lift back foot off the floor. Squeeze and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat for at least 5 contractions

• You will repeat this exercise for the opposite side once you’ve completed the routine on one side

1- Modified Pigeon Forward Lean on Hands

2- Modified Pigeon Active Hip Internal Rotation

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Exercise 5

Modified Pigeon Hip Active External Rotation

• Begin in the modified pigeon 90/90 sit with torso rotated facing forward leaning weight back with hands behind you

• Gently lift the knee (with inside touching floor) & rotate outward through hip. Squeeze and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat for at least 5 contractions. Ensure opposite leg remains still with outside knee resting on floor

• You will repeat this exercise for the opposite side once you’ve completed the routine on one side

1- Modified Pigeon Chest Open

2- Modified Pigeon Active Hip External Rotation

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Exercise 6

90/90 Sitting Lift to High Kneeling

• Begin in approximate 90/90 sitting as shown, use hands to maintain balance without leaning on floor

• Gently lift through the hips into controlled high kneel. Squeeze the buttocks and hold for a few seconds. Return to start position and repeat 30-60 seconds

• Switch legs so back leg begins as forward leg and vice versa. Repeat active sitting movement 30-60 seconds.

1 - 90/90 Sitting on floor (no hand support)

2 - High Kneeling

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Exercise 7

Frogger

• Begin in all 4s, forearms on floor. Walk knees open keeping insteps of feet and inside shins rotated inward in contact with floor

• Gently rock back through hips/pelvis as if taking bum closer to heels, squeeze knees into the floor and hold/release for 5-10 second repetitions.

• Gently work into and explore stretch for at least 60 seconds

1 - Frogger Start Position

2 - Frogger Rock Back Position

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Exercise 8

Deep Lunge Hip Opener with Arm Rotations

• Begin in lunge position, extend out back leg as far as is comfortable. Lean forward and try to come to rest on forearms. Actively drive open front knee/hip rotating out onto outside border of foot.

• Take inside arm next to front leg and rotate upwards to ceiling with a straight arm. Stretch open through shoulder, chest and spine.  Hold for 5 seconds at top position, return to start driving elbow back to the floor and repeat for 10 repetitions.

• Switch legs front to back and vice versa. Repeat process.

1 - Deep Lunge, Forearms to floor, drive front knee open

2 - Deep Lunge Arm Rotations

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Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to read this guide, we hope you find it useful. Please share with anyone else who might benefit and if you have any questions comment and let us know. Don’t forget to download your free hip mobility cheatsheet. Good luck and enjoy your improved hip health.

Deep Lunge with Arm Rotation