My Daily Mobility Work

I am a big proponent of doing a little bit every day to get better.

Or at least almost every day - a few of these are 6 days a week, with a 7th left so there is at least a day where my body doesn't have to practice movement.

But I do some practice every single day, usually in the 10-20 minute range. All at once, or split up across the day. What it consists of changes, but at least at the moment here is what I do:

What I do every day right now

3 sets of 10 slow bodyweight squats. These squats are simple movement practice. Not only that, but they are diagnostic. How is my balance today? How are my knees and hips and ankles feeling? And I sore from working out? Do I feel energized or tired? How is my active stance? Am I breathing well? Am I feeling patient with my movement or am I rushing?

I do these 6 days a week. One day is off just to make sure my body gets time off - I have a history of pushing everything a little too hard if it's daily, and not skipping even when my body tells me to skip. Having a single day I can knock off means I can tell myself to let it slide and make up for it when I am feeling better.

The Couch Stretch. I do 3-4 minutes per side, at least once a day. My hips and my knees feel much better because of this, so I keep working on it. It's painful but so much more effective than what I was doing before that it's worth it. I'd rather suffer a painful and difficult move and get results than a more comfortable one that does little for me.

Sitting in seiza. I sit in this position for 2+ minutes, often longer - it's a comfortable position for me to study with my Kindle. This isn't a long period of time, but it's helpful. I find it's relaxing and, like the squats, a good detector of my overall physical well-being.

Posture drills. I have some posture issues, so I spend some of my daily workout time doing hip resets, rolling my pecs, practicing muscle activation, etc.

An additional 5-10 minutes of mobility drills, stretching, foam rolling get thrown in whenever I can - which is almost every day. I do a fair amount of foot rolling on a tennis ball when I'm on the phone or watching a video, for example, or do a stretch while I'm reading. It's just extra - I do enough to benefit but don't require a specific number so I don't get caught up in the numbers. It's overall feeling.

And that's what I do - every day, a minimum of stretching, moving, and movement prep. It adds up over time, so why not commit to a few minutes a day? It's worked well for me.