No matter what your age, mobility plays an important role in your body’s ability to move effectively. Better mobility can help reduce injuries, improve athletic performance and a body that moves better, feels better.

Here are three mobility exercises to keep you moving!

90/90 Hip Mobility 

Hip mobility is so important for healthy movement and coincidentally is one area of the body that most people lack mobility. This 90/90 Hip Mobility exercise, demonstrated by COAST RMT Abby Gorton, is great for runners or anyone who has limited range of motion in their hips from too much sitting.

  1. Start in a 90/90 position with your front knee and back knee bent at 90 degrees.

  2. While keeping your knees open and without moving your feet, slowly rotate your body to face the other side.

  3. Think of a windshield wiper motion with your knees

  4. Try to keep your front knee on the ground for as long as possible to encourage mobility in the hips.

  5. Repeat back and forth about 3 times or whatever feels comfortable.

Pails and Rails

This PAILS and RAILS exercise demonstrated by COAST Physiotherapist Jen Keefer, targets the quad to help with mobility throughout the front of the hip. Alignment and engagement of the hips is really important in this exercise. ⁠

PAILS (Progressive Angular Isometric Loading) and RAILS (Regressive Angular Isometric Loading) are used to increase range of motion by stretching a muscle while it is being held and strengthened in isometric contraction.⁠

  1. Begin in a half kneeling position. For comfort, you can place a folded mat or foam pad under your knee.⁠

  2. Place a foam roller under your back foot.⁠

  3. Focus on engaging your glutes and tucking your pelvis as you stretch the front of your quad. ⁠

  4. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and the push down on the foam roller with the top of your foot for 10 seconds.⁠

  5. Repeat twice.⁠

Upward Dog

After a long day of sitting or standing, doing some spine mobility exercises can help relieve back pain and improve posture. A healthy spine can also prevent a whole host of issues ranging from chronic injuries to reduced athletic performance.

This spine mobility exercise, demonstrated by COAST Physiotherapist Matthew Nicol, gently moves through a backbend to create opening in the spine.The key with this exercise is to work within your limit and gradually progress from there.

  1. Start by laying on your stomach with your hands on either side of your chest.

  2. Slowly push up through your arms and arch your back.

  3. Make sure that you're keeping your neck inline with the spine and do not force the movement.

  4. Continuously flow through this movement for 30 seconds.