Short on time and not sure where to start with your mobility?
Yoga instructor, Crossfit coach and movement specialist Georgina Gabriel shares her top tips when working to improve your range of motion…Essentially when you break it down, mobility is simply about being able to easily move without aid or assistance to perform day to day tasks.
How we move is determined by our motor abilities such as strength, flexibility, coordination, agility, endurance and speed. When we want to improve the way we move for a specific task, we need to take this into consideration.
Improving flexibility allows us to build more strength and opens up a huge amount of movement potential. What do you need to be more flexible for? Are you currently stuck learning a new skill or struggling with basic tasks at home because you are limited by your range of motion?
In this blog series over the next 7 weeks I want to help you overcome some of your limiting beliefs when wanting to improve your movement capacity.
Does any of this sound familiar?...
You don't feel like you have enough time to work on improving your flexibility.
You don't know where to start when improving your flexibility.
You don't prioritize it because you don't really know why you are doing it.
It feels really uncomfortable so you try, but then give up.
You feel like you are too old to start and you label yourself as 'just not flexible'.
You have a really hectic life with kids, work etc so don't know when or how to fit it in.
My MVMT Library offers you the ability to work on your flexibility whether you have 5 minutes or 60 minutes spare. There are lots of flows to help you move better from full body flows or specific body part flows. The key to success is to be consistent each week. Check it out for 7 days free below!..
Week 2, Tip #2 - How and where to start?
A good place to start would be testing some movements to see where you feel restricted, I call this movement exploration. As an example you might test and video your overhead squat, or anything specific to your goals. This can then become your test and retest to measure your progress.
I suggest looking at getting a movement assessment if you really feel you need some help with what to work on or how to approach your movement sessions. This will help you to get straight to the point and stop you getting confused by the volume of content you see out there on platforms like instagram.
Day to day you could start by using Joint C.A.R.S ( You will find a full body C.A.R.S flow in my MVMT Library) to begin giving your joints some love and taking them through their full range of motion. you might find a particular flow you enjoy that you can stay consistent with doing regularly. This might be a Yoga flow, or anything to just move your body in less linear patterns.
It doesn't need to take up lots of time so aim at doing something you can make a habit of. Personally I find the easiest routine to stick to is some movement when I get up in the morning, sometimes just 10 minutes. I also make sure I train through my full range of motion in my training sessions. You might find when starting to do this you need to regress a movement or lower the weight you have been using and then build it back up gradually. It might be hard mentally to accept this at the start, but you will be grateful you did in the long term!
The key is to do whatever you choose consistently, not just the occasional day every other week.
"You can improve flexibility by doing exercises such as running, swimming, weightlifting as long as your limbs go through the full range of motion" – Thomas Kurz, 'Stretching scientifically'
If you would like some help either 1:1 online or perhaps online programming, you can start by booking a consultation including a movement screen below. Alternatively pop me an email if you have any questions first.
