4 Ways for How to Increase Mobility and Flexibility
When it comes to leading a healthy and active lifestyle there’s more to it than just strength. To be truly healthy, you also need to increase mobility and flexibility. These not only help improve your overall health but may also prevent injuries from happening in the future. Furthermore, you can’t expect to make gains in your exercise routine if you lack the flexibility and mobility to push yourself further, right?
We’re taking a look at the 4 ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility at home. Try them out and see the difference they make!
Difference Between Flexibility and Mobility
Before we dive into ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility it’s important to recognize they are, in fact, two different things. Mobility references how a joint moves whereas flexibility is measuring the length of a muscle.
Think of mobility as the range of motion around a joint. There can’t be any movement around a joint, however, if the muscles aren’t flexible enough to allow it. This is why, though technically different, mobility and flexibility go hand in hand together.
Better flexibility and mobility do more than just help with exercise. They affect your everyday life. If you’re less mobile, your body will start to seize up and become more stiff, reducing your flexibility. Conversely, if your muscles are not properly stretched to allow for better flexibility, you will experience a reduced range or motion, or mobility, and could injure yourself more easily in the process.
Methods to Increase Mobility and Flexibility at Home
Now that you understand what they are, it’s time to look at ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility. Though they may be technically different, their dependence upon one another makes for an overlap in ways to increase them together.
Some common ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility include:
- Warm up stretches and workout recovery routines
- Incorporating massage into your fitness routine
- Using a zero gravity chair for posture and stress management
- Staying hydrated throughout the day
Stretches for Better Flexibility and Mobility
When it comes to learning how to increase mobility and flexibility, it’s important to remember proper warm up and cool down routines. Without these, you stand a much higher chance of experiencing an injury during physical activity.
While you may think of warm ups as something you do just before working out or exercising in some way, morning warm up stretches are just as beneficial for increasing mobility and flexibility as you take on your day. These aren’t static stretches, as it’s been shown those are less beneficial than dynamic stretches for your body. When it comes to warming up before physical activity, go through a routine of jumping jacks, lunges, and other movements that gradually stretch the muscles for the optimal way to increase mobility and flexibility.
After you’re finished, a workout cooldown is important to keep the muscles from tensing up. Your cooldown could be anything from a short series of easy exercises to using a zero gravity chair for a post workout recovery routine. What is important is that whatever you do keeps the muscles loose, which keeps them flexible and prevents a reduced range of motion.
Getting a Massage to Increase Mobility and Flexibility
Getting a massage is a great way to increase flexibility and mobility. Massage gently works the tissues and muscles of the body to keep them loose and work out stiffness. For those with an active lifestyle, it’s been shown that a massage after physical activity like playing sports or working out can help prevent Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, which may drastically reduce flexibility and mobility in your body for several days.
Massage also helps the body heal faster. This means that the wear and tear muscles and joints go through from physical activity (or even just the daily grind) heal more quickly when you get a massage. This healing comes from better blood circulation delivering oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to tissues and muscles. It also helps keep joints lubricated, further helping to increase flexibility and mobility on a permanent basis.
Zero gravity chairs with massage features are great tools to increase mobility and flexibility. These chairs will help keep you loose and limber while treating muscle strain, alleviating lower back pain, and even helping you get better sleep!
The best zero gravity chairs with massage features also offer heat therapy. A study on heat therapy followed by hamstring stretches showed this combination as an effective way to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Improve Mobility and Flexibility Using Zero Gravity Chairs
Speaking of zero gravity chairs, they’re great for more than just massage! While zero gravity massage features are extremely helpful to increase mobility and flexibility, these chairs offer many other benefits, as well.
In the zero gravity position, the legs are elevated above the heart level and weight is evenly distributed along the body. This reduces the pressure on your back and pelvis, alleviating lower back pain as well as increasing mobility and flexibility in the pelvic joints.
Stress can also affect mobility and flexibility. When you’re stressed, your body tenses up. This muscle tension can restrict your flexibility and range of motion. Using a zero gravity chair for meditation and stress management may help you create a zen space where you can shake off the stresses of the day!
There are a number of breathing techniques you can do in zero gravity chairs, as well, that will help increase mobility and flexibility while also increasing lung function naturally. Deep breaths from the belly for a few minutes each day while relaxing in your zero gravity chair can make a noticeable improvement.
Importance of Staying Hydrated to Increase Flexibility and Mobility
As recommended doing any form of exercise, one of the most important and easiest ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility is to stay hydrated! Without proper hydration, your muscles and joint won’t stay loose and lubricated. This will restrict your flexibility and range of motion and may contribute to a higher likelihood of injury.
While it’s especially important to stay hydrated while exercising or doing any form of physical activity, don’t forget to stay hydrated throughout the day no matter what you’re doing. Drinking more water all day long can help prevent pain from sitting too long, general stiffness, and help increase mobility and flexibility.
Learning ways for how to increase mobility and flexibility is important to feeling your best and keeping your body at optimal performance. These two terms may be technically different but heavily depend on one another and make up the foundation for all your other physical successes. Keep hydrated, warm up and cool down before any physical activity, and choose a zero gravity chair to keep your mind and body strong! You won’t be disappointed in the results.
Learn more ways to use zero gravity chairs as part of your active lifestyle with our list of 5 zero gravity healing benefits for athletes!