Mobility: How To Fix Tight Hip Flexors, Lower Back Pain & Sore Shoulders

Citation preview

Mobility How To Fix Tight Hip Flexors, Lower Back Pain & Sore Shoulders

Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1 – Mobility Basics Chapter 2 – Effects of Your Activities to Your Mobility Chapter 3 – Improving your General Mobility Chapter 4 – Mobility Improving Workouts Chapter 5 – Pilates Mobility Exercises Chapter 6 – Sore Muscle Remedies Conclusion

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for purchasing this book. This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to improve your mobility. Fitness and mobility professionals say that your mobility determines your true age. If you take care of your body from a young age, you will be able to prolong your effective mobility. The good news is, physiological factors that affect your mobility will be kept in good condition with proper and regular exercise. If injuries or ailments to arise, hampering your mobility, you should do the best practices to heal yourself. This book includes both preventive and therapeutic approaches to keeping your mobility at its best condition. Regular exercise will keep your bones, muscle and joints conditioned to prevent injuries. Certain types of stretching exercises will also stretch your muscles to make them more resistant to accidental hyperextension. These techniques are discussed in this book. We also discuss the things that you should do to remove pain when they happen. Some of the pain may be caused by bad habits in posture, lifestyle or nutrition. Most people can still reverse the effects of these habits. Other types of pain are caused by accidents excessive use of a joint or a muscle group. These types of pain can be prevented through first aid methods and professional therapy. We discuss the solutions in detail inside the book. Thanks again for choosing this book. I hope you enjoy it!

Copyright 2016 - All rights reserved. This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable information in regards to the topic and issue covered. The publication is sold with the idea that the publisher is not required to render accounting, officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified services. If advice is necessary, legal or professional, a practiced individual in the profession should be ordered. - From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and approved equally by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that any liability, in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or directions contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the publisher for any reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or indirectly. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely, and is universal as so. The presentation of the information is without contract or any type of guarantee assurance. The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the publication of the trademark is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying purposes only

and are the owned by the owners themselves, not affiliated with this document.

Chapter 1 – Mobility Basics Improving your mobility is an important part of your health. As people grow older, they generally lose mobility and flexibility. Their ability to move freely weakens. Some of the muscles that people do not normally use become stiff. There is a risk that these muscles may become sore when subjected to strenuous physical activities again. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure that you keep doing exercises to keep your muscles ready for action. The more you exercise your muscles, the better your mobility will be. However, certain exercises like those involving excessive weight lifting will also cause your muscles to become stiff. You should choose the right types of workouts if your goal is to maintain your mobility. Mobility or the ability to move freely can be connected to multiple health factors. One of the most important factors is flexibility. Mobility and flexibility are different concepts but they are also connected with each other.

Flexibility’s role in mobility In sports science, mobility refers to a person’s ability to move his or her joints to its maximum range of motion without getting injured. On the other hand, flexibility refers to the maximum range of movement for a joint or series of joints, as well as the length of the muscles which make the bending motion possible. As we grow older, the muscles are prone to shortening. When the muscles in your joints are no longer flexible, your mobility will also be affected.

Stability and mobility Lack of muscular stability is another factor that leads to poor mobility. Stability refers to the ability of the muscles and the bones to keep the body stable or upright when a person is moving. In the fitness world, the most popular form of stability is the core stability. Our core is designed to keep our upper body stable when we are standing, walking and running. Most people’s core muscles are strong enough to perform this function. The lack of strength of these muscles is usually highlighted when a person does awkward stances. When a person is hanging on his arms to do a chinup for example, he needs a tight core to keep his body from swinging around. Most people who cannot pull themselves upward from a hanging position think that they only have bad back, arm or chest muscles. However, the problem is usually greater than that. Aside from the pulling muscles, the person may also have weak core muscles to stabilize his form. Among your core muscles, your lower back is probably the group that is most prone to injury. When the muscles in your lower back stiffen because of lack of conditioning, you are more likely to become injured when you bend forward. However, your back muscles are not the only responsible muscles in this case. Your entire core muscles work together to stabilize your body. If your back muscles are injured, this may mean that your other core muscles are also weaker than they should be. Aside from the core muscles, muscles from other joints in the body also affect stability. One of the most commonly injured joints is the knees. As you become older, the muscles in your knees also lose flexibility. When forced to do intense movements, these muscles may cause knee pain or injury.

Muscle strength and mobility While stabilizing muscles keep your body in place, certain muscles like the biceps and the triceps are designed to generate pushing and pulling forces. When doing certain activities, you will need muscle strength to make sure that you can use your maximum range of motion. When lifting heavy weights for example, your arms will not be able to move its maximum range of motion if your arm muscles are not strong enough. Joint health and mobility The health of your joints is also an important factor when considering mobility. The range of movements of your joints will be severely limited when they are injured. Aside from the muscle-related factors mentioned earlier, your joints will also be affected by your diet. A person prone to eating foods like peanuts, pork innards, beer, and legumes for example, is expected to have high blood uric acid level. These substances usually accumulate in a person’s joints such as the knees, the fingers and the toes. When there is too much of these substances in your joints, you will feel pain. The pain will severely limit your ability to move.

Excessive body weight’s effect on mobility The joints require the cooperation of muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments to functions well. As mentioned earlier, the strength of your bones and muscles is important if you want to keep your joints healthy. However, they can only become strong when you exercise. When a person does not exercise, his bones contain less calcium and his muscles end up with less amino acids. These nutrients generally give these muscles their strength. When a person who does not exercise eats too much, his weight will be too much for some of his joints to handle. The joints that are commonly used to support his weight like the ankles, knees and hips will not be able to hold his weight. If he puts weight on these joints in an awkward position, they will become injured. The sheer bulk of a person with excessive weight also affects his mobility. The ball and socket design of the shoulder joint for example, will not be able to move it is at its maximum range of motion because of fats and muscles are in the way. A healthy person has enough mobility and flexibility to reach most parts of his back. A bulky person will not be able to reach half of his own back.

General health Your ability to move freely is also affected by your general health. If you have an injured left shoulder for example, you should expect that the mobility of your entire left arm would be affected. If your knees are injured on the other hand, you should expect your hip movement would also be affected because your legs support your hips. To keep your mobility up, you need to make sure that your entire body is healthy. When one part of your body is affected, the others parts used in the chain of movements will also be affected.

Chapter 2 – Effects of Your Activities to Your Mobility Now that you know what affects your mobility, you should examine your day-to-day activities to see if there are certain areas in your body where your mobility is starting to degenerate. The people living a sedentary lifestyle are most prone to getting mobilityrelated injuries. Because they are not moving as much as other people their muscles become stiff compared to other people who are living an active lifestyle. Here are some of the reasons why this is so: Lack of exercise When you do not activate your muscles often, they will become weaker. Both your dynamic and stabilizing muscles will become weak. This will increase your chances of injury. Dynamic stretching exercises also keep your stabilizing muscles conditioned for intense physical activities. If you keep your muscles conditioned, you will not get sore shoulders or lower back pain for lifting something heavy. Maintaining one body position for a prolonged period People who are living a sedentary lifestyle usually have habits that cause them to sit or stand for a prolonged period. When you sit for a prolonged period without stretching your muscles, your lower back muscles will become stiff. A person working in front of a computer for too long for example is more likely to lean toward the screen. This can lead to strained neck and shoulders. Contrary to common belief, your back becomes more strained when you are sitting compared to when you are standing. Your spine does not have a wide range of motion as other parts of your body. The disks in your spine get most of the nutrients that they need when you move around. The

movements create a mechanical force that pushes blood and nutrients in these parts. When you are sitting for prolonged periods, these parts of your spine do not get the nutrients and oxygen they need. As a response, these parts of your spine will lose their flexibility. When your spine loses flexibility, your entire upper body and torso mobility is affected. When you stand for a prolonged period on the other hand, your knees will be supporting your weight for too long. You knees will begin to feel pain as lactic acid accumulates in the muscles supporting your knees. Some people try to shift their weight from one leg to another to keep their weight to compensate. Overweight people who stand for prolonged periods also increase the chances that they will get injured.

Chapter 3 – Improving your General Mobility Your general mobility is affected by the factors that we discussed in chapter 1. To improve your general mobility, you need to start living an active lifestyle. Here are some tips on how you can do this: Visit your trusted physician You have no way of knowing your overall health condition without visiting your family physician. Before you start doing any of the tips in this book, you should firsts consult with your doctor if your physical condition is good enough to do these activities. If you are generally healthy, it is likely that you will be able to do most of the things in this book without any restrictions. However, if you have some unique personal health conditions, you should first consult your doctor. Examine your daily routines Your daily routines contribute to your overall health status. If you eat too many snacks, you should expect that your weight would balloon. If you are not exercising, you should expect that your overall strength and flexibility would also be affected. One of your goals when improving your mobility is to start practicing an active lifestyle. This will increase your strength and flexibility. It will also keep your muscles and joints conditioned for movement. If you exercise your entire body often, you will keep all your joints ready for intense exercises. Identify the areas in your routine that need changing Most people developed their routines mindlessly. The activities in their routines became habits only by accident. This time, you will rearrange your routine so that it will be able to support your active lifestyle. Unfortunately, you are the only one who can change your routine because you are the only

one who knows which activities are essential and which one can be removed. If you notice that you spend too much time in front of your computer in your routine, you should divide your working hours into chunks. Instead of sitting in front of the computer for eight hours straight, you can work for two hours, stand up and stretch for 3-5 minutes. You could also schedule your meals in between your eight-hour shift. This way, you will be able to break the habit of sitting for prolonged hours. If you also sit for prolonged periods at home, you could get a standing desk. This is a taller desk that will allow you to work standing up. You should alternate your position between these desks regularly. Give more time for exercise in your routine The general idea is to give regular attention to working out. People who did not actively build their own routine do not usually give a lot of time to working out. If you want to exercise regularly, you should assign a time in the day solely for this purpose. At a specific time, you should either workout at home or go to the gym. For most people, the ideal time to workout is the morning. However, if this is not possible for some reason, you could also schedule it in the afternoon after your work. Do flexibility improvement exercises on some of your workout days Most people think that exercises are just for building muscles. This is a wrong approach to working out. Instead of doing only weight, lifting exercises all week long, you should instead; add some flexibility focused exercises like Yoga or Pilates. The poses in these types of workouts are designed to test the strength of your muscles that maintain stability. Some of the poses also improve the flexibility of your muscles.

Chapter 4 – Mobility Improving Workouts Exercise is an essential task if you want to improve your mobility. As mentioned in previous chapters, exercise keeps you ready for movement. By keeping your bones strong and your muscles conditioned, you are decreasing the risk of injuries. When you work out, your body releases endorphins. These hormones can work as effectively as synthetically produced chemicals when relieving pain. To activate glands that release these hormones, you need to work out using aerobic respiration. We will discuss some of these types of exercises in the following chapters.

Stretches Stretches are necessary to keep the length of your muscles. By stretching regularly, your muscles will not shorten as you grow. This improves your general flexibility, which affects your general mobility. To maximize the effects of stretching, you should stretch all your major muscles groups regularly. Ideally, you should give more time to workouts that uses stretching poses like Yoga and Pilates. However, if you just want to start small you can do the following stretching exercises right after a good night’s sleep:

Neck bend The neck bend improves the flexibility of your neck muscles. When you keep one neck position all day long, you may sometimes feel some nagging pain in that area. To prevent this type of pain, you should do the neck bend every morning. Target area: muscles in the neck Instructions: 1. Stand straight with your head facing forward and your arms bend with your hands holding your hips. 2. Bend your neck forward by facing down and keep it there for 2 seconds. 3. Bend your neck backward by looking up and keep it there for 2 seconds. 4. Tilt your head to the left to bend your neck sideward for two seconds. Do it again in the other directions. Do the series of movements 10 times every morning. Shoulder Roll

Your shoulders may also feel pain because of some of your habits. Women are prone to shoulder pain because some of them tend to carry their bags on one shoulder. If they put too much weight on just one shoulder on a regular basis, they may experience shoulder pain. The shoulder roll stretches the muscles in this area. Doing this will lessen the shoulder pain experience. To prevent this from happening completely, you should avoid the habits that cause it. When lifting heavy objects, you should distribute the weight on both sides of the body. Target area: shoulder and upper back muscles 1. Stand straight with your hands falling straight down. 2. Rotate both of your shoulders in the clockwise position ten times 3. Do the same in the counter clockwise position Do three sets of this workout in your morning stretching sessions. When rotating your shoulder, you should extend it to its maximum range of motion. You could picture the top part of your upper arm bone making the biggest circle it can make.

Upper arm and shoulder stretch Your upper muscles seldom become injured. However, your shoulder muscles also depend on them. If you have limited flexibility in your upper arm, the mobility of your shoulders will be affected. A weak and stiff upper arm will pass most of the load to the shoulders. If this happens, your shoulders will also be prone to injury. To prevent this from happening, you should also do regular stretching workouts on your upper arm. Target area: triceps and deltoid muscles Instructions: 1. Stand up straight with your arms falling by your side.

2. Lift it your left hand and position it crossing the body and your fingers pointing to the right. 3. Bend your right arm so that its forearm is making a cross with the your horizontally positioned left arm. 4. Pull your bend right arm to the right so that it pulls on your left shoulder muscles. Keep your left arm straight throughout the process. 5. You should feel some stretching sensation in the inner part of your left shoulders and your left triceps. 6. Keep the stretched motion for eight counts. After that, do the same motion using opposite arms. This stretch workout works on the inner side of your deltoids. Before doing any intense training, you should do this workout to keep your shoulders conditioned. You should also do it every morning. Arm Rotation This workout also conditions your deltoid muscles. These muscles can become painful when it is forced to do repetitive movements. Pitchers in baseball for example, ice this muscle after every game to lessen its swelling because of repetitive movements. Professions that perform similar actions should also make it a point to do the arm rotation every day to prevent shoulder and deltoid pain. Target area: Upper arms muscles and deltoids Instructions: 1. Stand straight with your arms lifted horizontally so that they are parallel to the ground 2. Make a counter clockwise motion with your hands so that your shoulder area rotates in the same direction. Keep your arms straight. 3. Stop when you have done 10 circles and repeat the process with the clockwise motion

Straight-leg toe touch The lower back muscles are one of the most common source of pain among people with sedentary lifestyles. It is one of the most affected muscles when a person sits for prolonged periods. To keep these muscles conditioned and pain-free, you should do this stretching exercise every day. By doing this exercise, you are also stretching your hamstring and your glutes. Target area: Lower back muscles, glutes and hamstring Instructions: 1. Stand straight with your arms falling freely by your side. 2. Bend forward and stretch your arms downward and try to reach your toes. 3. Keep the position for 5 seconds and then, go back to the original position. 4. If you cannot reach your toes, it is all right. Keep working on it every day.

Hip Bend Your hips are composed of a combination of your core and lower body muscles. These muscles are necessary not only to bend your body but also to keep it stable when you are moving. You need to condition all the muscles in your hips to prevent injuries. This area is particularly prone to injuries when it is hit by a powerful force. Hip pain may also happen when unconditioned muscles are suddenly rotated to generate large amounts of force. The hip bend improves the flexibility and the conditioning of your muscles in this area. Target area: Core muscles

Instructions: 1. Stand up straight with your feet together, arms bent and your hands holding your hips. 2. Tilt your upper body forward so that your hips are bending back. 3. Return to the original position, then, tilt your body back so that your hips are bending forward. 4. Return to the original position and then bend your hips to the left. 5. Return to the original position and bend to the right. 6. Do these series of actions 10 times

Hip Rotation This is another hip workout to keep your core muscles flexible. By doing these movements regularly, you will make your core muscles more flexible. This will allow you to do sudden rotation without injuring yourself. Target area: Core muscles Instructions: 1. Stand up straight with your feet together, arms bent and your hands holding your hips. 2. Bend your hips forward and rotate it so that it makes a clockwise motion. 3. Do 10 rotations 4. After that, return to the original position and do the same motion in the opposite direction

Knee rotation The muscles that facilitate the movements in your knees should be kept conditioned so that you will lessen the changes of knee injuries. The

muscles in these areas help stabilize your legs when you are walking. They are important because your knees support your whole weight. If your knees are weak, sudden movements of the feet may rotate it and cause the muscles to strain. Target area: Knee Muscles Instructions: 1. Stand up straight with your feet together. 2. Bend forward and put your hands on the top part of your knees. 3. While keeping your knees together, rotate your knees in a clockwise direction. 4. Do 10 rotations 5. After that, return to the original position and do the same motion in the opposite direction

Lying leg bend By bending your knees towards your chest while lying down, you isolate your glutes for stretching. This makes your glutes and other core muscles more flexible. By doing this move regularly, you will be able to lift your legs high. Target area: glutes and hamstring Instructions: 1. Lie on the floor on your back with your hands and feet straight and parallel to your body. 2. Bend you left knee and bring it closer to your chest. 3. Use your arms to move your knee closer to your chest. You will feel your glute muscles stretch as you do this. 4. Return your legs to the original position and do the same motions with the opposite leg.

5. Do 10 reps with each leg.

Sole Stretch Lastly, you should also stretch your feet especially if your shoes cause plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a common condition where in the middle part of the sole of the foot feels painful from the inside. This is common among people whose plantar fascia is not flexible enough. If your shoes does not ergonomically support your feet, you may also feel this sensation. To prevent or remove your plantar fasciitis pain, you should stretch it with the sole stretch. By doing this stretching move, you will also be able to stretch the lower part of your calf muscles. Target area: plantar fascia, calf muscles Instructions: 1. Using the first step of the stairs, you should position one of your feet on the edge so that the back half your feet is extended in space. 2. Put your weight on that foot by lifting the other foot off the ground and bending your soles. 3. If you have plantar fasciitis, the bending of your soles will feel painful and satisfying at the same time. 4. Do the same with the other leg.

Starting with Yoga Yoga is a type of workout that aims to improve strength, flexibility and stability. In a yoga session, participants do a series of poses that put pressure on some parts of the body like the legs and the arms. If you cannot do the poses properly, this means that you are lacking in either flexibility, strength, or stability. As a beginner, you should start with the less difficult poses. If you keep doing them, you will eventually become better at doing the more difficult ones. The yoga movements are not as effective in making a person lose weight. However, it will keep the strength, stability and flexibility aspect of mobility in top shape. Yoga also emphasizes the use of breathing while working out. By doing breathing exercises with your poses, the practice ensures that the workout makes use of aerobic respiration. The poses are also done slowly to lessen the chances of injury. This decreases the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscles. Lactic acid accumulates in your muscles when your body is forced to use anaerobic respiration. The body usually needs to use this form of respiration when you are doing high-intensity movements or when you prolong the contraction of a muscle. When doing poses, you do prolong the contraction of your stabilizing muscles. Because of this, there is a chance of lactic acid accumulation if you do not breathe properly while you do your poses. Lactic acid accumulation also causes pain. The pain may cause problems in your mobility. However, the effect on the mobility of a person depends on his lactic acid pain threshold. Some athletes for example, who experience lactic acid accumulation in their muscles often, become accustomed to the pain. Some of them can push their body to perform through the pain. If a yoga session is designed properly, you will be able to train your muscles with minimal lactic acid accumulation. To start training, you need to look for yoga classes or yoga training videos. You only need a yoga mat and an instructor to teach you the sequence of the poses. If there are no

good classes in your area, you can still start training the poses with online videos. To start practicing yoga, you can also try out the following poses that are meant to improve your mobility: Mountain Pose The mountain pose is one of the simplest poses in yoga. This pose stretches your upper back, shoulder and forearm muscles. Instructions: 1. Stand straight with your feet together and your arms falling by your side. Your palms should be facing towards your body. Your weight should also be balanced between both legs. 2. Take a deep breath, then, raise your arms upward. When raising your arms, you should make it pass in front of you rather than in the side. Your palms should be facing each other. 3. When your arms are complete vertical, you should reach upward. Your face should be facing forward the entire time. As you reach upward, you should also maintain both feet planted on the ground so that your arms are only pulling your upper torso muscles.

Downward dog The downward dog is one of the most popular yoga poses. Most beginners can do this post. Some slightly overweight people may have trouble doing this workout. If you can successfully do it, it works well to stretch your spine to make it more flexible. It also releases tension in that are as it lengthens the muscles in your back. Aside from your spine, it also releases tension in your shoulder blades and stretches leg muscles like the rear thigh and the calf. Aside from stretching these muscles, the downward dog also strengthens them. If you have weak ankle stability, this is a good exercise to work on that part of the body. However, your core muscles should be able to carry your weight before you can do this workout.

Instructions: 1. On a yoga mat, start by kneeling to the ground and putting your weight on your extended arms. When you are on all fours, you should make sure that your hands are directly under your shoulders and your knees are directly under your buttocks. 2. Adjust the position of your hands and make them walk forward while your hands remain in place. When you have reached the maximum point, spread your fingers apart on each hand to give you better stability. 3. Push your hips upward by straightening your legs. You can do this by pushing with your feet. Your feet need to remain in place. You have completed the pose when your body is in an inverted V position. 4. Breathe deeply three times before stopping the pose.

Warrior Pose The warrior pose works on your core and leg muscles. In this pose, the pressure is on your core and leg muscles. The feet are on an angle, so the position is more difficult to maintain compared to standing straight. The arms are also extended and fighting against gravity. You may feel some pain in your shoulders as you try to maintain the pose in the prescribed time. The core is the most important aspect of this move as it stabilizes your entire upper body while your legs are in an unusual position. Instructions: 1. Start by standing straight in the middle of your mat facing at one end. Step forward with your left leg and stepping back with your right leg. Your right leg should be at a 90-degree angle with your left leg, or facing outward. 2. Lower your body to the ground as you extend the distance between your legs. You should only stop when your front leg (left) is at a 90-degree angle. 3. As you do the actions above, you should simultaneously lifting your arms so that your left arm is extended forward and your right is extended

at your back. Both your arms should be parallel to the ground. 4. Keep the pose with your face forward for one minute while breathing deeply the entire time.

Tree Pose The tree pose is simple but it does require you to have good balance and strong leg muscles. It requires you to extend your arms upward. This stretches your back and shoulder muscles. Keeping this pose in the prescribed time also strengthens your stabilizing muscles in your knees and your hips. If you have knee or ankle problems, this pose may not be best for you. You should probably skip this one until your injury heals. Instructions: 1. Start by standing straight with your arms falling by your side. You should be facing forward. From your sides, place your hands in a prayer position. 2. Lift your left leg off the ground and place your soles in the inside side of your right ankle. At this point, you should be standing on one leg (your right leg). 3. Once you have regained your balances, you should breathe in deeply. As you breathe out, extend your arms upward from the prayer position. Your palms should be facing each other as you do this. 4. Stay in the position for 30 seconds while breathing deeply. After that, lower your arms and leg and do the same series of motions with the other foot off the ground.

Seated twist The seated twist is a popular stretching workout regimen among eastern forms of workouts and martial arts. It is designed to stretch your glutes and your outer thighs. These parts are difficult without using this position. Instructions: 1. To start, you should sit on your mat with your feet straight in front of you.

2. Bend your left knee and bring your left foot closer to your body. Slightly bend your right knee so that you can place your left foot just under your right thigh next your right glutes. Your knees should be facing outward towards your left side. 3. Bend your right knee and position your right foot just beyond your left leg. Your bent right knee should be pointing upward right next to your erect torso. 4. Support your erect torso with your straight right arm by placing it 45 degrees behind you. Use your left elbow to push you right knee to your left. This should stretch the glutes and outer thigh muscles in your right leg. Keep the pose for 1 minute. 5. Return the first position and do the same set of movements on your opposite leg. Some people may not be flexible enough to use the elbow to stretch the leg. If this is the case for you, you can also use the left arm for support and your right arm to push the right knee towards your left shoulder. This should stretch the muscles in the same area.

The cobra This pose is excellent in stretching the muscles in your torso. It affects your abdominal muscles and your lower back muscles. It is simple and almost anyone without an injury can do it. Instructions: 1. Start by lying face down on your mat. Your arms should be bent with your palms on the floor facing downward. Your feet should be slightly separated with your feet on the floor and your soles facing upward. Breathe in. 2. As you breathe out, you should push the upper part of your torso off the floor. Your back should curve as you do this. Your upper torso from the lower abs upward should be lifted off the floor. You should only stop when your arms are straight with your hands directly below your

shoulders. Your head should be facing slightly upward to stretch the neck. 3. Keep the position for one minute before bringing your body back down to the original position. If you want to make this pose more difficult, you should bend your knees upward and tilt your head back. By extending your neck and your leg muscles, you can make your feet touch the back of your tilted head. Bridge pose The bridge requires your core to hold a lot of weight. If you do this post regularly, the muscles around your core will be stronger. In this pose, the muscles in the back until the knees need to maintain their horizontal position. For most people, these muscles were never given the chance to operate this way their entire lives. This makes these muscles very weak. Aside from strengthening the core muscles, the bridge position also extends the lower back muscles, the spine, the chest, the thighs muscles and the glutes. If your bridge is high enough, it also puts tension on the quadriceps and the hamstring. Instructions: 1. Lie on your mat with your arms by your side and your legs bent upward. Clench your fist so that you can flex your arm muscles. Breathe in. 2. As you breathe out, lift your hips up so that only your feet, shoulders, head and arms are touching the mat. Your legs should create a 90-degree angle. 3. Press your clenched fist and your arms to the floor to generate more force to lift your hips higher. Hold the bridge position for one minute while breathing deeply.

Triangle pose

The triangle pose is another pose that tests the strength of your core muscles and the mobility of your hips. It also stretches the muscles in the side of your torso and your upper legs. Aside from these parts, it also has a minor effect on the shoulder muscles. Lastly, it improves the strength of the stabilizing muscles in your ankles and knees. Instructions: 1. Start by standing with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width. Lift your arms so that they are horizontal to the ground with fingers pointing outward on each side of the body. Breathe in. 2. As you exhale, turn your left feet so that it is facing to your left, parallel to the direction of your extended left arm. Breathe in. 3. As you breathe out again, bend your hips to your left so that your left hand is touching your left foot or any point of your lower leg that you can reach. As you do this, your right arm should be kept straight pointing upward. You should also turn your face to face upward towards the direction of your right arm. 4. Keep breathing deeply and hold the position for five breaths. 5. Reverse the motions to return to the original position. Do the same series of movements on the opposite side.

Chapter 5 – Pilates Mobility Exercises Pilates is another great form of workout to improve your mobility. Pilates is a German workout system that aims to improve strength and prevent injuries due to loss of mobility. Just like Yoga, you only need a workout mat for this workout. You also need to pick a workout place that is conducive for doing the workout moves. It is centered upon multiple workout principles: Focus The practitioner needs to put all his attention into what he is doing. It is easy to let your mind drift when working out, especially if you have been doing a certain move for years. When doing Pilates, you need to avoid stray thoughts while doing your reps and focus on the movements. To make sure that your focus is entirely on your actions, you should block out all distractions. You should work out in a place where there are not a lot of people passing by. You could also listen to some music that will set the mood. However, you should keep your focus on your actions and not on the music. Control Focus leads to control. When you work out using Pilates, you will be working against the force of gravity. You do not use weights and other tools to enhance muscle performance. You only use your own body weight. This is where beginners tend to struggle. Just when doing Yoga, Pilates also makes use of your stabilizing muscles. If you lack strength in these muscles, you will feel your feet or body shake as you try to control your movements. In some instances, you may even fail to perform some of the more advanced movements if you lack strength in some areas.

To maintain control, you should start with the easier movements in Pilates to gradually improve these muscles. As you become better at these movements, you should move to movements that are more difficult. Centering Pilates practitioners should always be aware of the source of their strength in stabilizing their entire body. Instructors teach that certain parts of the core muscles are the most important part of the body because they are the source of stabilizing power. To follow these principles, most Pilates movements start from the center and continue towards the limbs. Precision In the beginning, Pilates practitioners will be inefficient in the way they move. They may do extra movements that are no longer part of the workout. The instructor removes these movements to correct the person’s movements. When all extra movements are removed, the practitioner will become more precise in his movements. Sometimes, the removal of extra movements makes the workout more difficult. However, it is necessary to maximize the effects of Pilates. Flow Unlike regular exercises that focus on the number of reps and sets, Pilates requires that all movements should be connected. This makes the workout look elegant. The idea of flow is called economy of movement by instructors. You can only achieve proper flow of movement if you have achieved control, precision and centering. Breathing Just like Yoga, Pilates also emphasizes the importance of proper breathing. This workout also aims to use aerobic respiration to generate continuous flow of energy. In Yoga, there is a constant use heavy breathing to take in as much oxygen as possible. In Pilates, forceful inhalation and exhalations is necessary to keep the shape of the body while working out.

Benefits of Pilates Though instructors may create hype when introducing you to Pilates, you should remember that it is just like any other exercise. It should be used as a preventive therapy rather than to cure injuries. At its most basic form, Pilates is an excellent way to work out your core muscles. These areas are usually difficult to work out. The principle of centering puts most of the focus of the workout on the core. In this type of workout, you will be supporting your body from your buttocks. This requires a strong center to be able to create movements from this position. The core is the most important stabilizing muscles in the body. If you have a weak core, you will be prone to hip injury when you grow old. It is important that we keep our core strength throughout our lives if we want to prolong our effective mobility. One sign that you have a weak core is frequent back pain. People who have a habit of sitting down for prolonged periods are prone to this kind of pain. If you slouch while you sit, this means that you are not using your core muscles effectively to stabilize your body. Pilates makes your more aware of the importance of your core muscles. Pilates movements are mostly on the floor. You need to move while maintaining awkward body positions. The motions keep your heart pumping. By holding the position, you will also push your stabilizing muscles to its limits. By putting pressure on these muscles, you will make them stronger. Your mobility will improve as you improve the strength of your stabilizing muscles.

Starting with Pilates Pilates movements are challenging but their benefits make them absolutely worth it. They usually work both your upper and lower body muscles. The Pilates fitness industry works in the same way like in Yoga. There are usually classes that you can attend where you work out with the instructor.

The instructor tells you what to do and corrects any mistakes in your movements. If there are no classes in your area, you can also grab a copy of Pilates videos online. With these videos, you will be able to practice Pilates workouts at home.

Beginner Pilates Workouts for Improving your Core Stability Because this is a book about mobility, we will focus on the features of Pilates that improve your core stability. The 100s The 100s is a move that aims to improve your ability to control your leg muscles when they are suspended off the ground. Most people cannot keep their legs lifted off the ground for more than 10 seconds. In this workout move, you not need to do this for a longer period, but you also need to move your arms in the process and lift your upper back off the ground. By doing these moves regularly, you will improve the muscles responsible for lifting these body parts off the ground. Instructions: 1. Lie on your back, with your arms by your side. 2. Lift your legs off the ground by bending your knees to your chest. Lift your arms with your palms facing downward. Your arms should make a 45-degree angle from the ground. 3. From your chest, extend your legs until your thighs are making a 45-60 degree angle with the ground. As you do this, you should lift your head off the floor so that it is only supported by your neck. If this is too difficult, you could look down to stabilize your neck muscles. 4. You should start moving your arms up and down for around 6 inches while breathing. Breathe in deeply for 10 counts and breathe out for the same number of counts. If the exercise is too long for you, you could cut the breathing duration to five counts.

5. Do this this until you have breathed in 10 times.

Single leg circles This workout is a lot simpler than the first one. By doing it, you will be able to learn the degree of control that you have on your leg muscles. You will need strong pulling and stabilizing muscles in your legs when doing this workout. It also includes muscles in the lower part of your abdomen and your back. Instructions: 1. Lie on the mat on your back. Place your hands on your side with your palms on the floor. Adjust the angle of your arms on your side so that it makes a 30-45 degree angle with your body. 2. Bend your left leg so that you thighs are making a 45-degree angle with the floor. Keep your right leg straight and tighten your foot muscles so that they point downward. 3. While using your other leg, arms and torso for support, lift your right leg of the ground so that it makes a 45-degree angle to the floor. 4. From this starting point, lift it up until it is perpendicular to the ground. You should inhale deeply while you do this. 5. Lower your leg down until it makes a 45-degree angle with the floor again. After that, you can lift it back off the ground again. You should breathe out as you do this. You should keep your right leg straight with toes pointed downwards as you do this. 6. Keep doing the up and down motion for 10 times. You should do the same set of movements with your other leg.

Rolling Motion

In this motion, you keep your legs in and you arch your back so that you can roll on your back like a ball. This movement improves your lower and upper back stability. It also gives you control of the arch of your back. Arching your back stretches the muscles that support your spine. If you do this workout move regularly, you will be able to comfortable in using your spine in an arched position without actually slouching. Instructions: 1. Sit down on your mat with your legs bent together in front of you. Clip your hands under your knee joints and attach your bent elbows in the side of your thighs. 2. Arch your back by placing your head just above your knees. 3. Let your body fall to the back by leaning backward and pushing your body with your feet. You need to apply just enough amount of force to start the rolling motion. If you push too hard, you may hit your head. 4. As you roll back, focus on the movement and try to maintain control of your rolling motion. When you reach the farthest point of your rolling motion, roll back up the original position. 5. When rolling, you should find your breathing rhythm and maintain it. You should also keep your core and leg muscles tight to make sure that you maintain control of your fall. Your feet should be pointed downward.

Single-leg teaser The single leg teaser is Pilates’ version of crunches. Unlike crunches however, the Pilates principles require you to keep control at all times. The movements not only workout your upper core muscles but also force you to stabilize your lifted leg with your glute and your upper back. Instructions: 1. Lie on the mat on your back with your legs straight and your arms by your side.

2. Bend your left knee so that it makes an inverted V. Tighten your straight right leg and point your toes downward. Lift your right leg off the ground while keeping it straight. Your right leg should make a 45-degree angle with the floor. 3. Extend your arms straight in front of you with the fingers in the direction of your extended foot. You should then do some crunches while reaching for your extended right foot. 4. You should only stop when your fingers have touched the foot of the extended leg. Lay your back and head back down while still keeping your arms and right foot extended. 5. You should breathe in while you are lying down and pushing your breath out while you are reaching for your foot. 6. You should do the movements 10 times and repeat the same set of movements with your left leg extended. You should practice the Pilates movement that we discussed in this chapter before trying them out in your workout sessions. You can move on to more difficult movements when you have developed your core muscles with these easier movements.

Chapter 6 – Sore Muscle Remedies Your muscles can become sore for many reasons. As mentioned in previous chapters, it can become painful when it is forced to do high-intensity movements without pre-conditioning techniques. It can also become sore when it is hyperextended. This happens when your joint areas are almost puller apart in the joints. The muscles holding the joints together will try to warn you to get out of that situation by sending pain signals in to the brain. After the hyperextension, the muscles will also swell to facilitate the healing process. Aside from these circumstances, your muscles can also become too painful and sore when you rotate the joints they support to fast. When you turn on your supporting joints to fast, your muscles in your joints need to keep the joint area from breaking. However, they need to resist an amount of force close to your entire bodyweight. You muscles will be able to resist the force most of the time. However, whenever this happens, your joint muscles will become sore. The ankles, knees and hips are the joints that are most prone to these types of injuries. When this happens, you should put first aid care on the affected joint of muscle group immediately. Here is the process that you should follow when you get sore muscles: 1. Apply cold compress right after the activity If the sore muscles are brought by you playing a certain sport, you should apply an ice pack the affected area right after the game. This slows down the inflammation and prevents excessive swelling of the muscles and the joints. This joint and muscles treatment is absolutely necessary when you need to use the same sets of muscles and joints in the following days. Cold compress treatment is also useful when you experience frequent inflammation in your joints and you want to lessen the pain. You can take an ice pack and wrap in the affected area. People experiencing lower back

pain for example will be able to lessen the pain when put an ice pack on it when the pain starts.

2.

Take a warm bath when you have rested

Heat increases the blood flow in the areas of your body where it is applied. Taking a warm bath increases the blood flow in various external areas of your body. When resting or injured, this is just what you need. You need blood to flow to the affected areas when the swelling has stopped so that the tissues in the affected areas will have the oxygen and nutrients in needs to lessen the effect. 3. Use the static back technique Sometimes, the lower back muscles may become painful because of prolonged slouching. When the lower back muscles are not conditioned, they will become painful when placed on one position. If the muscle position is awkward, these areas may also lack blood flow. To allow your back to stretch from the slouched position, you could use the static back technique. In this technique, you simulate the sitting position while keeping your back straight. Follow these instructions to do this technique: Start by positioning a chair in an open area in your home Place your workout mat on the floor with one end next to the chair. Lie down on the mat and put your lower leg over the surface of the chair Keep your back straight and your thighs at a 90-degree angle from the floor Keep this position for 5-10 minutes 4. Use a foam roller to reach your deep tissues Using a foam roller allows you to put pressure on sore areas of your body. With a foam roller, you can do a personal massage person. You can also control where to prolong the pressure on your muscles. Once you hit the tender spot with the foam roller, you can keep applying pressure through the roller for a few more minutes to massage the area.

Places for foam roller use: Lower back and spine You can position the foam roller perpendicular to your spine and let it run down to apply pressure to different points of your back. By doing this, you will be able put therapeutic pressure from your lower back to your shoulders. Thigh You can also use the foam roller in various parts of your thighs. If your front thigh muscles are sore, you should place the foam roller under it while you are in the prone position. However, the foam roller works wonders when you use it on the side of your thighs and your hips. Applying pressure in this area will relieve pain in your tight hips flexors. Chest Then the chest muscles experience pain, it is difficult to apply pressure on them without using your arms. Using foam rollers, you can put your arms at your back while applying pressure. As you pull your shoulders back to stretch your chest muscles, you will be able to apply pressure while your muscles are stretched. You will feel an even greater feeling of relief. 5. Get enough sleep Sleep is a time for the body to slow down its other functions so that it can focus on restoring various parts of your body. In contrast, lack of sleep and staying up late causes the body to release stress hormones that increase the degree of various types of inflammation in the body. People who experience chronic back pain for the first time usually have trouble sleeping. When they do manage to sleep, it does not last long because it wakes them up. The lack of sleep signals the body to release stress hormones that worsens the inflammation in the affected part of the back. To prevent this from happening, you need to force yourself to sleep by using various ways to relieve the pain. Restoration of your inflamed muscles and joints will be more effective if you get enough sleep.

6. Time your sitting position duration You should become aware of the amount of time that you spend sitting down. If your back pain is caused by being seated for a prolonged period, you should prevent it from happening by stretching your back at work. After an hour of being seated, you should stand up stretch your back with some basic exercises before going back to work. You can set an alarm clock to remind you when you need to stretch your back. You should also walk around your office or grab a snack every four hours of working. This simple habit will prevent back pains in the future. 7. Be aware of your weight distribution Shoulder pain can happen when we put weight on just one shoulder regularly. The imbalanced weight distribution pulls only one side of the body downward. We compensate by leaning our weight on the opposite shoulder. If this happens often, the shoulders will not be able to heal. As a result, the pain becomes chronic as more weight is applied in the same shoulder day after day. To prevent this from happening, you should choose types of bags that distribute weight evenly on both sides of the body. This principle applies every time you carry huge amounts of weight. The more you carry. When carrying something off the floor for example, instead of using just one hand to carry something, use both your arms so that you can distribute the weight evenly. 8. Keep being active As mentioned in earlier chapters, your blood flows better if you keep moving. If you are active, more oxygen will reach your muscles. This will enhance the healing of your muscles. If you live a sedentary lifestyle on the other hand, your heart rate slows down. Inflamed muscles will receive less nutrients and oxygen, decreasing the healing process. You should take advantage of the time you spend away from work to do physical activities. You could start small like walking in a scenic route. As you become more active, you may become interested in more physically challenging activities.

9. Choose ergonomic tools If you are experiencing chronic pain, you should assess if some of the things you use is causing it. Using a personal computer for more than eight hours a day for example, may lead to chronic pain because of repetitive movements. In some cases, it may even the carpal tunnel syndrome of some people. To prevent this from happening, a person can use ergonomic mouse and keyboard to improve the position of his wrists while working. Aside from computer tools, you should also examine the chair you use. Your flat hard chair may be causing your lower back pain. The ideal surface of the chair should support the natural shape of the lower back and the spine. Some commercial seating cushions allow you to experience this type of spine support. They lessen your back pain in the long term. 10. Remove the worst habit of all Smoking has many negative health effects. One of the most damaging is its effects on the bones. The constant increase in the nicotine content of your blood severely displaces the calcium in your bones. There is a high incidence of osteoporosis among long-term smokers. Even if you take in a lot of calcium, they will not be absorbed by your bones if you do not stop smoking. 11. Eat the right stuff If your joints are swelling badly, you may be experiencing gout. You can stop this from happening by taking gout medication prescribed by your doctor. You should also look into your diet and check for foods that you constantly eat that are rich in uric acid. You should also check if you are taking enough calcium in your diet. Calcium needs to be taken with iron to be absorbed by your bones. If you load your bones with calcium when you are young, you decrease the chance of osteoporosis, as you grow old. If your bones are rich in calcium, they will not break easily when you fall or when hit damaging force. Most importantly, you will be able to maintain your posture for longer periods. You can force your bones to load up on calcium by working with weights. Though resistance workouts are usually in the anaerobic respiration variety,

they usually cause your bones to restructure. When you apply weight on your bigger bones, they try to become stronger by loading up with calcium. However, the effects are not permanent. The calcium content of your bones will decrease as you do bad habits like smoking and living a sedentary lifestyle.

If none of the tips in this book relieved the pain you feel, you should consider going to your doctor for medication and even surgery. However, these solutions are only needed for only the worst cases. In most cases, you will be able to remove chronic muscle and joint pain if you stop the habit that causes it, follow the best practices in nutrition and do self-therapy. In some cases, professionals in the mobility industry may be your best bet in removing back, shoulder or hip pain. Chiropractors are trained to know which muscles are in pain. They will then use regular therapy sessions to work on the muscles and the joints that causes pain. Consult your doctor to get a professional opinion on whether this kind of treatment is likely to work for you.

Conclusion Thank you again for purchasing this book! I hope this book was able to help you to improve your mobility and lessen your muscle and joint pain. Pain in these areas of the body is usually a sign that we are doing something wrong. Living a sedentary lifestyle is usually the primary cause of this type of chronic pain. Habits like smoking and eating the wrong food usually contributes to it. If you want be free of these types of pain, you should remove these bad habits and live an active lifestyle. You should practice the tips in this book on how to gain effective mobility. You should keep working on your spine and core muscle mobility because they are the parts of the body that keep the torso erect. You should also take care of your lower body joints and muscles because they carry your weight. Lastly, you should invest in tools that help maintain your mobility. If the tools that you use are causing your loss of mobility, you should change to ergonomic tools that support the natural shape of the body. Thank you and good luck!