Amy leads a 5-minute mat routine for low-back mobility and flexibility. You'll do knee pulls, knee hugs, open-book knee drops, and arm slides lying on your back, with breathing and core work woven in. Works on a bed or floor, and takes just minutes to add to any workout.
Hey, everybody, I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your 5 minute mat mobility workout. We're going to be all down on the mat and all lying on our back. We're just going to get some good stretches, get some mobility through those joints and leave feeling relaxed and stretched. Go ahead and come down on to your back right through here. It's only five minutes, so this is a great little add on to your other workouts or when you're just not feeling like doing much. Go ahead from here and let's just take a minute to get in touch with our breathing. Big inhale to expand through your back, sides and belly. Big exhale, pull everything in, connect with that core. Inhale and exhale, trying to let go of the tension that you may be feeling through your glutes, through your hips, through your back, through your shoulders, through your head and your neck. And from here, let's just take our knees. We're going to pull them in one at a time. So you can either grab underneath or right on top of the shin, so underneath the thigh or right on top of the shin. Just pulling in, however, is comfortable for you. And you can just hold for a count or two. So we're working both mobility, right, how we move, as well as flexibility, getting that stretch as well. This is a great one. I often do this before I go to bed or in the morning because I get pretty tight in that low back right here. And then if you can bring both of them in, if that's not right for you, you just keep going one at a time. But we're gonna hug those knees and feel that stretch through the low back, even pulling a little more towards the chest, keeping the head and neck and shoulders relaxed right through here. And then let's open up those arms and we're going to start dropping the knees to one side. And we're going to start with that open book, but just for your lower body. So open one knee, take it across and then the other so you can follow with your eyes. But let's keep your arms stationary for now and just think about the hip opener, right? And the stretch through the back. One and then the other right through here. And you can connect your breath to that, whatever feels like a good rhythm for you. And then let's take it all to one side. Let's cross that arm over. And now we're going to put the two together. So reach that arm up. So you can either reach up or if that's not right for you, go across this way. So we're going up and then other arm and knee follow. Take your time with it. Big open stretch right there. And now knees open or flat, whatever feels for you. Or you can take them to one side because we're going to go one side with the upper body. So I'm going to have my knees towards my right side, but it feels better to have them flat. And I'm going to pull across my body with my arm reach to the other side. So my knees are staying over. So we'll get that back stretch in the same we got way we got the chest stretch when only the upper or only the lower body was moving and the upper body was stationary. And this time I am going up my arm. And then big stretch across. Eyes can follow right here. And then as you're ready, switch your side. So roll the knees to the other side or keep them straight if you want and take it across your body. You keep going. And I want to show you this from here in case you need here across and reach again. Eyes are going to follow. And if for some reason this is not comfortable on your back, you can prop yourself up or you can do it standing or seated as well. Here, here and here. And let's get one more and then bring it back to center. We're going to take those arms up goal post if that feels good for you. And we're going to do those little arm slides. We're all pretty tight through here, so you're just sliding up and in. This is another one that you could do standing against a wall. That feels good for you. We are almost there. Five minutes. Go. So fast, right? Make sure you're not holding tension in your core or your back. One more and then just find a comfortable position. Ideally, palms are up, knees and hips, toes pointing out just a bit and just a few deep breaths to close it out. And you can stay here as long as you need. Remember these stretches, really good ones that I like to do from bed right before you go to sleep or in the morning or when you're watching TV or something where you don't have to feel like you have to do too much on your feet or be dressed in workout clothes, but you can get that mobility through your body. One big deep breath in from here and out. You did it. That was your five minute mat mobility workout. Great job, everybody.
