Morning Mobility Check-In

Last week, I wrote about how mobility—the ability to move and be moved freely and easily—is not a separate facet of fitness. Rather, mobility is an expression of your fitness, and informs your moment-to-moment reality.

Just as the martial arts masters insist we must be able to kick cold, and Kelly Starrett’s famous analogy describes how a leopard must always be ready to sprint for its livelihood, how can you move in every moment of your life?

Fresh out of bed in the morning is perhaps the ultimate test of your true mobility. If a group is only as strong as its weakest member, you are only as mobile as your stiffest moment.

To add some practical testing and actionable advice to this theoretical musing, I offer this morning mobility check-in. In this video, I describe and demonstrate three quick movement sequences that you can do in a few short minutes any time of day and/or fresh out of bed.

We are most used to paying attention to our movement patterns while in the gym. Similarly, we gauge our physical abilities by PRs and other measures that come after we have dutifully prepared and warmed up.

As you follow along with these quick mobility sequences, pay attention to what you feel in your body. This can tell you much more than what you might feel in training and provide invaluable guidelines to direct your movement practice.

Check out this list of fun workouts and simple exercises to do when stuck at home.