5 Simple & Effective Morning Mobility Exercises

Spending just 5 minutes per day doing mobility exercises within 30 minutes of waking up can provide the following benefits:

  • Decreases stiffness caused by sleeping
  • Increases circulation
  • Helps you wake up
  • Increases energy
  • Prevents injuries
  • Reduces stress
  • Improves memory
  • Boosts productivity and creativity
  • Starts your day with a feeling of accomplishment

Here are 5 exercises that are perfect to prepare your body and mind for the day ahead. 

1. Cat Cow

  • Start on your hands and knees, toes curled under, aligning your wrists underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips.
  • Your eyes are looking straight down to the ground.
  • Start by taking a deep breath in.
  • Next, move into cat position by slowly tilting your pelvis back so that your tailbone sticks up, your spine flattens and you slowly look up to the ceiling without straining your neck.
  • Next, slowly move into cow position by exhaling and tipping your pelvis forward, letting your spine naturally round. Try to look at your navel.
  • Slowly move back into cat position and keep repeating as many times as desired

2. Child's Pose

  • Begin on your hands and knees.
  • Next transition into Child’s Pose by slowly pushing your hips towards your heels as far as comfortably possible.
  • Then stretch out by straightening your arms as you lower your chest and face to the floor.
  • Hold for 30-60 seconds while taking slow, relaxed breaths.

3. Glute Bridges

  • Lie face up on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  • Inhale and tighten your core and squeeze your glutes as you drive your heels into the ground and slowly lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line.
  • Pause for 1 second at the top while squeezing your glutes.
  • Then relax and slowly lower back to the starting position and repeat as desired (10-12 reps if possible). 

4. Hamstring Flossing

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent.
  • Grab your right leg from the top and gently pull your knee towards your chest letting your left leg straighten to the floor.
  • Hold for 20 seconds while taking slow, relaxed breaths. 
  • Next, grab behind your right hamstring and slowly extend the right leg towards the sky as you exhale.
  • The left leg remains straight on the ground.
  • After about 4-5 seconds, bend the knee back down and repeat 10 times before switching legs.

5. Side-Lying Hip Circles

  • Lie on your side with both legs straight out, stacked directly on top of one another with your and your head resting on your bottom arm which is also straight.
  • Place your top hand on the floor for more stability.
  • For extra stability, you can also bend your bottom leg.
  • Lift your top leg up into the air about 3-4 inches.
  • Slowly rotate the top leg round in small clockwise circles for 4-5 repetitions and then do 4-5 counterclockwise repetitions.
  • Repeat on the other side if desired.
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn

Related Articles

5 Overlooked Exercises for a Stronger Core

Having a strong core becomes increasingly important as we age. As the years go by, especially if a lot those years has been spent relatively inactive, our core begins to weaken – creating a cascade of consequences. Our back starts to hurt, our posture gets more “hunched,” our hips and knees stiffen and our strength

Read More »

7 Exercises to Help Reverse Computer Posture

The average person in the U.S. spends over 7 hours sitting at a computer. While, for many of us, this is unavoidable – it can wreak havoc on our bodies. Studies show that spending hours at the computer negatively affects our posture, causes stiffness in the neck, upper back and shoulders as well as a

Read More »

How to Find a Form of Exercise You Don’t Hate

“Chris, I really don’t like exercise. In fact, I don’t just dislike exercise, I detest it. I hate it. If there was a pill I could take instead of having to exercise, I would be the first in line.” That was what a client told me during our initial consultation a number of years ago.

Read More »

7 Exercises that Reverse the Effects of Sitting

So much of our everyday lives revolve around sitting doesn’t it? We sit at our desk at work, spend countless hours in our car, sit to read, watch TV, scroll through social media, etc. Sitting is seemingly unavoidable, but too much can wreak havoc on both our bodies and our mind- causing health consequences such

Read More »

What You Don’t Know About Your Metabolism Is Hurting You

Most people think of their metabolism only when thinking about their weight. But the truth is, your metabolism is so much more important than being a factor in how much you weigh. A healthy metabolism means your body is getting the energy it needs, is detoxing properly, and is repairing tissues and that our hormones

Read More »

Stop Trying to Be Consistent

We always hear that in order to get/stay fit, we have to be “consistent.” But as surprising as it is to hear, striving for consistency may actually be counterproductive. The dictionary defines consistency as “acting or done in the same way over time.” We aim to be consistent with our exercise, we aim to be

Read More »

Connect with me

Listen to the podcast

Follow Me on Facebook

Ask me a question on twitter

© 2022 Believe In You Now Fitness, LLC. All rights reserved.