When you are injured or suffering from health issues, it feels damn hard to take even one step. But do you know staying active can actually help to lessen your pain and improve your well-being?
The more flexible your joints are, the fewer the chances of injuries and aches. Yet, mobility, flexibility, and stability are not the same, even though many confuse them.
Mobility is being moveable, flexibility is stretching, and stability is the firmness of a body.
If you want a detailed guide about these three fundaments, read the information below and take the first step towards a healthy lifestyle.
In this post, we will discuss the following:
- What is Mobility?
- Stability
- Flexibility
- Movements to Increase Strength, Flexibility, and Mobility
- How to Improve Mobility and Flexibility to Relieve Pain?
- Best Exercises to Improve Mobility and Flexibility
- SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System Belt
What is Mobility?
Mobility means how well and freely you can move your body in all directions. You might be wondering why mobility is important. It helps in executing our daily tasks effortlessly without any difficulty.
Good mobility means you have a good range of motion, endurance, and muscle strength. In contrast, if you find it difficult to move your muscles and joints efficiently, it's a sign of bad mobility.
The inability to move freely may occur due to improper posture and alignment, muscle weakness, muscle imbalances, or injury. According to research, mobility issues badly affect both emotional and physical well-being.[1]
Stability
What came into your mind when you first heard this term? Let us guess. You might think stability is the ability to stay in one position without making any movement, right?
That's true but remember stability, together with mobility and flexibility, helps us perform various activities. If your body is not stable, you will be more prone to getting injuries.
All parts, including the foot, ankle, knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, cervical spine, and lumber or thoracic spine, need stable movements to keep the posture equilibrium on point.
Every muscle and joint in your body is responsible for making specific movements. Stability helps these joints and muscles to work properly and perform all tasks efficiently.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability of joints to stretch unrestrictedly without any hassle and make painless moves. Those having bad flexibility may feel pain or tissue breakage while stretching.
Flexibility helps in bending, moving, and stretching easily. The more flexible your body is, the more conveniently you can move, run, stand up, sleep or perform any task or exercise.
We hope now you can clearly differentiate between mobility, flexibility, and stability.
Movements to Increase Strength, Flexibility, and Mobility
Better flexibility and stability mean effortlessly moving in all directions without falling or experiencing pain. Especially if you are an athlete or fitness enthusiast, you should improve your strength and endurance.
Below are some exceptional movements you should add to your daily routine to gain extra strength with flexibility and mobility.
- Lateral Lounge
- Walking spiderman with hip lift
- Sitting 90 hip reach
- Prying squat
- Passive leg lowering
- Half flooring hip stretch
- Assisted quadruped rotation
- Rocking ankle mobilization
- Kettlebell arm bar
- Half kneeling arm rotation
- Three-way ankle mobilization
- Shoulder flexion by back to the wall
- Mini band floor slide
- Tall kneeling shoulder rotation
You can easily do these famous movements without strain on your joints. Start these movements immediately to soothe your pains and give your best in everything you do.
Besides, there are many mobility and flexibility programs offered by fitness gurus that can help increase your strength and stability.
How to Improve Mobility and Flexibility to Relieve Pain?
Many people think that it’s something inherited and they can’t do anything about increasing their endurance and stability. However, it's not true, and you can improve your movements and strength by doing flexibility and joint mobility exercises.
Mobility and flexibility are essential to boost your physical performance, improve strength, and help to maintain a positive state of mind. Worry not if you're part of a less flexible group, as you can work on it anytime.
Even if you last touched your toes months ago or years ago, you can still improve your moves by following the tips mentioned below:
- Be conscious every time you sit, and try to maintain a proper posture, especially while working long hours. Bad posture can directly affect your flexibility by causing uneven pains or strains. It is proven by research that posture correction improves stability and helps to get rid of shoulder pain and back pain.[2]
- Stretch your body as much as possible, since stretching the body boost's flexibility. Also, it improves your movements, increases muscle blood flow, and helps to decrease the risk of injuries.
- Start consuming food that is rich in multivitamins and antioxidants. Studies found that vitamin D helps to increase physical performance, improve muscle strength and reduce falls.[3]
- I prefer sitting on the floor rather than a chair or sofa. Also, it's easy to stretch your body while sitting on the ground and will help you improve your mobility in the long run.
- Include mobility exercises in your daily life and add rolling foam workouts to your workout routine.
- Besides, you can try yoga since it is also an excellent option for improving mobility and flexibility. A randomized controlled study proves that yoga has similar benefits to stretching and strengthening exercises.[4]
Best Exercises to Improve Mobility and Flexibility
Do you always want to jump higher and run faster like a child without aches or pain in your muscles?
Below are the five best full-body mobility exercises you must try to improve your flexibility and function to live a healthy, strain-free life.
Pro-tip: Before starting any flexibility, mobility, or stability exercises, remember to warm your body by doing dynamic exercises for ten minutes.
1. Ankle mobility
To do this workout, stand next to the wall; now, place one hand on the wall and slowly rock your leg on a tiptoe position.
Repeat this exercise 10 times on each side.
2. Walking Hip Openers
Stand straight, position your feet, and by using your knee, make a circle around your body.
Repeat the same process for 10 minutes for each hip.
3. Thoracic Spine Windmills on the Floor
Lie on the floor and bend your hips and knees 90 degrees. Now try lifting your body for almost 3 seconds by rotating your hands in the air.
Repeat these five times only.
5. Shoulder Pass-Through
Stand straight, and imagine you are holding a stick in your hand. Keep your hands straight, and raise the stick above your hand. Now try to bring the stick behind your head to improve the posture of your shoulder.
Repeat five times on each side.
6. Neck Half Circles
Sit straight, put your hands on your lap, and tilt your head on any side fully stretched. Now continue rolling your head on both sides in a circular movement. But remember to do this exercise slowly to avoid getting any strain on your neck.
Try these simple exercises to improve flexibility and stability in working life.
Besides, if you suffer from muscle pain, then try the following stretching exercises:
- Forward Lunges
- Side Lunges
- Cross-Over
- Standing Quad Stretch
- Seat Straddle Lotus
- Seat Side Straddle
- Seat Stretch
- Knees to Chest
Related Post: How to Choose the Best Back Support Belt for Your Needs?
SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System Belt
Mobility and flexibility is a great asset that gets better with practice. If you take part in daily stretches, you’ll realize how your body feels refreshed and strong after a good session. Another tool that can help you power your back and core is the SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System belt.
It also aids in restoring function, balance, and mobility in the body. So how does it do that?
The belt works on ATT (Advanced Targeting Technology) and contracts all four layers of your abdominal muscles. It also flexes and trains the back muscles to improve mobility and increase flexibility. Besides, it helps in improving your posture and burns extra calories.
Start your FITNESS JOURNEY TODAY with SUPMOGO Back Pain Relief Belt.
Final Thoughts
Not only diseases but lack of exercise can also make you suffer by making your muscles and joints stiff.
The good news? You can get rid of this unwanted pain and improve mobility by stretching exercises. Meanwhile, don't forget to relax your muscles and use tools like SUPMOGO Fitness Belt that help to repair torn muscles faster after a workout.
[1] Iezzoni, L. I., McCarthy, E. P., Davis, R. B., & Siebens, H. (2001). Mobility difficulties are not only a problem of old age. Journal of general internal medicine, 16(4), 235-243.
[2] Kim, D., Cho, M., Park, Y., & Yang, Y. (2015). Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. Journal of physical therapy science, 27(6), 1791-1794.
[3] Ceglia, L. (2008). Vitamin D and skeletal muscle tissue and function. Molecular aspects of medicine, 29(6), 407-414.
[4] Gothe, N. P., & McAuley, E. (2016). Yoga is as good as stretching–strengthening exercises in improving functional fitness outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences, 71(3), 406-411.