I Like to Move it Move it

For awhile now I have been working my way through Deskbound, by Dr. Kelly Starrett (with Juliet Starrett and Glen Cordoza). This book is a fascinating study of how sitting in our culture has impacted the body and our health as a whole.. and no... the irony is not lost on me that as I type this- I am in fact- sitting.

Evolutionarily speaking, human beings were not designed to sit for long periods of time, and certainly not in the so-called ergonomic chairs we have created for ourselves. Due to years of sitting (and other various lifestyle factors), it's no surprise that over 50% of the American population will report having back pain by the age of 45... and those are just the reported cases AND that is just back pain. Sitting for extensive periods of time causes not only back pain but neck, shoulder, hip, and knee pain, stabilization issues, alignment problems, postural concerns, and limited range of motion through a multitude of joints.

What I have always really liked about Starrett is that he doesn't look at things in a vacuum. He places high importance on having good mobility, but points out that mechanics, nutrition, hydration, sleep, and exercise all play a role on just how good it will be (and inversely your mobility also has impact on these).

Lately in the fitness arena there has been a lot of focus on recovery, which I love. For too long people have neglected to recognize that how well you recover is in fact the limiting factor in how well you will perform. If you are not recovering well, then you will not perform well - end of story. There are many factors that play a role in recovery, but one of those is mobility.

If you are having trouble with what exactly mobility means, think of it as the ability of your joints to move. So doing work on your mobility is simply working on improving your joints' ability to move. Doing mobility work normally requires little to no equipment, and performing 15 minutes of body work a day can be a game changer in your recovery (and therein your performance).

And I haven't even gotten to the good part yet! Doing these 15 minutes of bodywork don't even have to interrupt your usual schedule! How many of you watch at least 15 minutes of television a day? Or maybe you listen to a podcast or audiobook. You can perform these 15 minutes of bodywork WHILE you are doing what you already were going to be doing... so there's no excuses... right?

So why do so many people find it difficult to adhere to a mobility program? Because it's not sexy, and because physically it is not comfortable. However, I can tell you that exploring the end range of motion in a joint for five minutes, or massaging your glutes for ten minutes with a lacrosse ball, is going to have more of an impact on your life than hitting one or two more sets of bicep curls. Our mobility has a direct impact on how we will move for the rest of our lives, and in turn the quality of life that we will have in the future. Doesn't that sound like something worth spending 15 minutes a day on?

I'll tell you what. You show me a day where you don't have 15 minutes to spare and I'll give you $1 million dollars. Do you want to know why I can make an outlandish statement like that with nothing but the utmost confidence that I will NEVER have to cash that check? Because there is not a person in the world on any given day that does not waste at least 15 minutes. How long have you been on facebook or instagram today? On your commute, while you watch television, while you are reading, while you are making dinner, there are unique (and endless) opportunities to work on different aspects of mobility.

So the next time you grab your phone to play Candy Crush (am I really the only person who still plays that game?), also grab your lacrosse ball or foam roller and intentionally work on your mobility as well. I'm still waiting for an excuse that I haven't been able to rebut... so bring it... what is your excuse to not increase your quality of life and performance?

I can't hear you?

...That's what I thought.