Ready to ‘Work Out’?

This article is about MOBILITY – which for many, improving mobility will in fact be a Workout!

This is because when you extend, stretch or move into unfamiliar areas of your body’s range of motion – your sympathetic nervous system will become activated.

Once you start feeling sweaty, dry mouthed and your breathing is not as easily controllable – you know you have activated sympathetic pathways.

The trick is to realize when and where this happens – and then try to relax!

Below are 6 PROVEN techniques to enhance your mobility and get the most out of what you already have.

Mobility Principles

Relaxation
Breathing
Patience
Use your Strength
Create Space
Share the load

Explanation:

In order to increase your mobility, you must be able to RELAX while in uncomfortable positions. Struggling in and out of ranges of motion will never create improvement.
BREATHING in a specific fashion will ensure relaxation. Making sure you continue to breath is key + how you breath is just as important – exhale twice as long as your inhale – saying “HHAAAA” as you do.
Long term mobility changes take a long time and a lot of PATIENCE. So keep at it. Think in terms of months.
Mobility involves using your STRENGTH to push and/or pull yourself into more range of motion. Opening up new, functional ranges of motion is not a passive exercise. Prepare for some had work.
while ‘stretching’ don’t just sit there; wiggle around, contract and relax your muscles, rotate and ‘search’ or tightness – and then breath into it. This will help to ‘CREATE SPACE.’
Share tension throughout your body. Learn to link muscles from head to toe in order to effectively ‘SHARE THE LOAD’ – (this works with Strength as well). Understand that no muscle or joint is in isolation. To ensure mobilization is happening in the desired area you must ensure appropriate tension is used throughout the body.