How long in life do you want to be able to tie your own shoes? Wipe your own butt? That might seem like a crazy notion, but the mobility work you are doing today (or lack thereof) is what is deciding that for you. Mobility loss is the primary reason for independence loss as we age. Personally, I’d like to keep that skill set for as long as humanly possible. And if your personal healthspan is even remotely important to you, so should you.
Lack of mobility increases your risk of:
• Strength Loss
• Shoulder Impingement
• Muscle Tears
• Joint Pain
Conversely, developing optimal mobility is linked to major functional benefits, including:
• Improved sleep
• Increased mental health
• Faster recovery
• Reducing chance of Injury
• Reversing Joint Pain
• Longer healthspan
There is indisputable evidence that regular mobility work improves your quality of life now and as you age.
So what exactly is mobility? Our definition of mobility is a measure of your active (controlled) pain-free range of motion. That definition is important because it differs from flexibility. Flexibility is simply a measure of your passive range of motion. It is how far a joint can be pushed into a position by external force. In other words, flexibility allows us to get to the position, but not necessarily own or control the position. There is value in having flexibility, but there is also potential risk. If we can get to a position with force, but we can’t fully own the position with control, we lack stability. In positions lacking stability, we are at risk of injury. This is especially true for joints that are designed for multiple plane movements, like the shoulder or hip.
Let’s talk a little about the method. Just like any other component of health and fitness, there is no one-size fits all solution for mobility. At FPM, we have developed a novel mobility development system that is adaptable and effective for virtually anyone.
This system is a hybrid of yoga, self-massage, joint traction, stability work, and basic biomechanics principles. We have taken bits and pieces of other proven methods to design the most comprehensive system for improving mobility and preventing/resolving joint pain.
We have hundreds of some of the best exercises to help free up and stabilize your joints and we have recorded more than 100 full 12-25min routines.
Sounds pretty cool, right?
The best news? We have made these routines completely free and available via our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FivePillarMethod
We posted 106 20min routines and we are in the midst of publishing 12min versions.
If you are looking to learn more about the method, we wrote a full chapter on the Five Pillar Mobility Method in our book.
If you are interested in getting your own customized routine, feel free to reply and let me know.
That’s all for today.
Stay Young,
Craig