Mobility is an important component of your health that affects your fitness game and your body’s longevity. Keeping your joints mobile has many benefits and is necessary for your general health and athletic performance.
What is Mobility?
Mobility is the ability to move freely without stiffness or stress. If you have ever struggled to touch your toes or felt too stiff to exercise, working on your mobility will help you achieve a better range of movements.
Without good mobility, your muscles will be tight, but you can also have imbalances in the body and be more prone to injury. If one area of the body has less mobility, another area may try to compensate, resulting in injury.
Mobility is linked with joint health because to be fully mobile, your joints must be flexible, stable, and strong enough to allow a full range of motion. Flexibility, stability, and strength can be built up by looking after your body and performing regular stretches and exercises.
Flexibility and Stability
Flexible joints are essential for mobility. Flexibility can be defined as the ability of the joints to move through their full range of motion, but flexibility on its own is not enough for mobility. To achieve good mobility and perform the movements you need to, you must also have good balance and strength.
Stability is about having control over your movements and is the other main ingredient of mobility. It is essential for holding a particular position and resisting unwanted movements. Stability can be improved by strengthening the muscles that surround the joints.
What Are the Benefits of Mobility Training?
Good mobility can make a big difference in all areas of your life, whether you are a high-performance athlete or an office worker.
- Your posture will improve with mobility training because your body will be better able to position itself correctly, reducing stress on the spine.
- Sports injuries and common annoyances like knee pain are less likely to occur when your posture is good.
- General aches and pains can also be alleviated with good mobility.
How to Train Mobility
If you have a regular gym or training routine, incorporating mobility exercises into your warm-up session is easy, and you will quickly feel the benefits. If you don’t have a training schedule but want to improve your fitness, mobility exercises are a great place to start.
Cross-Train
One of the best things you can do for better mobility is to mix up your workouts. If you only run, for example, you’re only mobilizing your body in one specific way. Working out improves your mobility, but you must do different workouts that activate different body parts. Consider this an excuse to try a workout class you’ve always wanted. Even activities like gardening can be a mobilizing activity. Attaching mobility training to a hobby can make it more fun and effective.
Stretch Regularly
Stretching is key to your recovery regimen and ability to move better throughout your day-to-day life. Stretching helps with both flexibility and mobility, but the specific thing with stretching is that it opens up your body outside of how it moves in your workouts.
Listen to Your Body
If you feel any pain as you exercise, that is a sign there is an area you need to work on. Always listen to your body and stop if the pain is excessive. Consult a personal trainer or physiotherapist to discover which mobility exercises best suit you.
At BEK Medical, we believe everyone deserves to live a happy and active lifestyle at any age and at every stage of life. That is why we supply a wide range of medical supplies and equipment in El Paso and Dallas, Texas communities. Whether recovering from an injury, surgery or trying to make your home more accessible, we have the products and home mobility services you need to succeed.
Contact us today or stop by in-store to find the high-quality medical equipment you need to stay active and healthy!
