My Mobility Secret
As a full time physical therapist and novice content creator, I get consistent questions about what my “mobility program” looks like.
Here’s the thing - I don’t have one!
I know what you’re thinking: Roni… WHAT? That’s crazy! I saw you do the splits in a reel the other day. I see your crazy dance moves in every video and you’re throwing your limbs about in a contortionist type of way my lady!
And to that I say, yes. I have some inherent flexibility from years and years of dance and gymnastics. Much of my adolescence was spent perfecting a pirouette, mastering a backbend, etc., and my hips and spine certainly are more bendy because of it. But I haven’t danced formally in almost 10 years and I still maintain relatively good mobility from head to toe. How is that so?
Every night, before I go to bed, I spend 5-7 minutes stretching. The stretches vary in type and duration depending on what I need, but this is the basic gist:
Cat-cow. Kneeling hip flexor stretch. Straddle stretch. Butterfly stretch. Head circles. Down dog. 60 seconds for each. Boom.
I keep it stupid simple. Sometimes I throw in a wrist flexion/extension stretch or some open books. Maybe a little hamstring stretch if I’m feeling extra tense after a deadlift day. But that’s literally it!
The key here, as always, is consistency. Many a patient of mine will say they simply “do not have time” to implement mobility work into their routine. And to that I say, if you can check your phone or watch Netflix before bed, you can spend 5-7 minutes of that time working in a little stretch sesh. Not to mention that fact that it actually relaxes your body and improves preparation for better sleep. And I think we all could benefit from better sleep, yes?
So I challenge you to stop stressing about not stretching enough, and just do it. Before bed. Every night.
You can thank me later :)
Love, Roni
In other news - my favorite foldable treadmill is 30% off when you use my code REHABWITHRONI
here’s the link: https://www.walkingpad.com?dt_id=1917473
It’s perfect for those of you who work from home and need to get those steps in and I have loved using it in the clinic as well!
