Whether you work from home or commute to an office, it can be easy to rack up desk or couch time. Spending too much time sitting still can lead to back pain, stiff joints, and a misalignment in the hips.
That’s why Tatiana Lampa, founder of Training with T, recommends mobility exercises. Not only do they relieve back tension, but they can also loosen up stiff hips and shoulders.
Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, Lampa walks us through her 22-minute full-body mobility workout routine in this week’s episode of Well+Good Trainer of the Month Club. It’s full of feel-good movements that will have you loosening things up in no time.
Lampa recommends starting your mobility workout with a trainer favorite: cat-cows. Completing this exercise helps bring you into your body, getting a sense of how it feels today by opening up the hips, lower spine, and chest. “This is one of my favorite mobility drills to add some movement, to add some fluidity to your spine before we start to work out,” explains Lampa. It’s okay to be dramatic here: Really arch, and then really curve that spine.
For those who find themselves hunching over a lot (did someone say text neck?), thoracic-spine twists will help you course correct. “You guys are going to feel that stretch into your mid-back… If you find yourself hunching over a lot at your desk (guilty), this is going to feel so good,” she adds.
The workout intensifies with scorpions—though we promise, it’s not as scary as it sounds. You’ll feel your back, hips, and also your shoulder and chest open up. (You might even feel a tight IT band, too.) It’s so good that Lampa will have you repeat it a few times to get all the blood-flowing benefits before moving on the next side.
Throughout all these yoga poses, stretches, Pilates moves, and standing mobility exercises, pay attention to whether one side feels tighter than the other—it might clue you in to where your body needs a little extra love. Ready? Check out the full YouTube video to get started.
