Daily Mobility Routine to Start the Year Strong

Today we are doing a daily mobility routine as seen in the video NEW YEAR RESET Daily Mobility Routine to Start the Year Strong.

Maintaining mobility or range of motion is an important component to any exercise routine, however, can sometimes take a backseat to other exercise habits. Incorporating some simple range of motion exercises into our daily or weekly routine is one way to maintain or improve mobility over the long term, even if we are living with chronic pain, injury, or impairment. 

Remember if you are experiencing injury or pain, make sure to see your Physiotherapist or healthcare professional prior to participating in exercise. This blog post is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual physiotherapy assessment and treatment. 

1. Shoulder rolls. With your arms by your side and your shoulders relaxed, roll your shoulders forwards, repeat 8 times, then roll your shoulders backwards. Shoulder rolls are a gentle way to begin movement through the joints of the shoulder. They can also help to relax the muscles at the top of the shoulder and neck, which can become tense and tight.

2. Neck lateral flexion. Looking ahead, with your shoulders relaxed, gently tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder, come back to the middle and repeat, bringing your left ear toward your left shoulder. Repeat 8 times to each side. You should feel a slight stretch in the muscles at the side of your neck, but not any sharp or sudden pain.

3. Shoulder internal and external rotation. With your arms by your side and bent to 90 degrees, starting with your right arm, rotate your forearm out away from you, then back in toward your stomach. Repeat 8 times. Repeat with your left arm. Internal and external rotation is a gentle way to warm up the rotator cuff muscles, the muscles that support and help to stabilise the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder.

4. Wrist circles. With your hands in front of you in a soft fist, circle both wrists toward you. Repeat 8 times, then circle them away from you. Wrist circles can help to reduce stiffness which can be common with repetitive tasks such as typing, gripping, or lifting.

5. Thoracic rotation. Turn at your shoulders to the right, then to the left. Repeat 8 times. Thoracic rotation is a nice exercise to reduce back stiffness that can come with sitting for long periods or repetitive work.

6. Hip external rotation. Lift your right foot and cross it over your left shin or if possible, up on to your left knee. You should feel a slight stretch through your glute muscles. Here, you can hold for between 10 to 30 seconds.

7. Ankle rolls. Lift your right foot off the ground and circle inwards. Repeat 8 times then circle outwards. Repeat with your left foot.

In summary, this routine covered some simple range of motion exercises that can be incorporated into our daily or weekly routine. I hope this information has been helpful. To hear me talk on these tips, the accompanying video can be found on the Age Fit with Tess Youtube channel.

To find out if you are on track with your exercise program, the Age Fit with Tess Self Assessment can be found here.

Tess Halbauer

Physiotherapist