Seated Mobility Moves: Stay Active And Strong From Your Chair

Hey everybody, I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy and this is your chair mobility workout. This is part of my mobility series sponsored by Simp Leaf Sports cbd. Ryan is here with me today to help me out. Be sure to check the link in the description to find out all about their products. Today we are getting mobility and flexibility from a chair. The idea with this is a way to get some of that movement and some of that stretching when either you can't get down to the mat because maybe you're at work or maybe you want to get some mobility while you're watching TV or the mat is not comfortable for you for whatever reason. So we're starting just seated in the chair and the first thing we want to do is just get some little shoulder rolls. So we're getting it done from here and I want you just to work to your level of mobility or what you are able to do. Again, maybe you're doing this while you're working or on a little break from work. Let's take them to the front. Or maybe you need to take a smaller range of motion. You do. You be where you are today. That's what I always say. Any movement you can get from a seated position is going to help increase the blood flow. We can even take those a little bit bigger, increase the oxygen all to your muscles, to your body and just help you feel better. What happens a lot when we sit a lot at work or in our car is we just get super tight from being in the same position. So anytime you can move, let's take just little rotations through our spine. We're just side to side and just go as far as is comfortable for you. And if you have the space, you can even reach across. Really if you think about any of those movements we do in a warm up or a cool down or movements that we do standing, you can get some of those movements seated and then let's reach over our head. So great ways to just kind of warm up the body. If you just need a little break, you're starting to feel tight or tense or you just ended one call, you got to jump into a meeting, things like that. We're doing those commercial breaks. Does anybody watch commercials anymore? I don't know. And let's just do a little march of our feet. And again that can be whatever you have space and mobility for. If you want to bring those knees to your chest, if you want to just lift those heels. And guys, there is research to suggest that even movement from a seated position is going to help you, help you in all of your ways and strength gains in endurance and in overall health. So with that, then let's extend that leg out. You can kind of lean forward to a little hamstring stretch. And then we'll switch. So we'll keep this an active stretch, leaning forward as is comfortable for you. And if we want, we can add a little arm scoop with it, take it up and over and then switch. I'm feeling better already. I don't know about you. Right. Reach. Because let's be honest, all of us spend too much time sitting, whether that is a desk job or looking at our phones, the scrolling or driving. And let's get one more. Let's just hold this one here. So whatever is comfortable for you, if you just want to lean into it, you can have your hands on both legs. You can reach towards that front knee. You can take a few deep breaths and sink a little deeper. Little hamstring stretch, but you should also feel that through your back. And we'll switch our sides. Obviously, these are stretches you could do throughout your day as well. So leaning forward into that, a few deep breaths to sink a little deeper. Hands can be wherever they're most comfortable. If you want to reach towards that knee or toe, you can even let your head drop. And then coming back up to seated. So we're going to sit towards the edge of our chair. We're going to do a version of that 9090 that often we do in on the mat. So 90 degrees, both legs, you're just going to rotate that knee, both knees pointing to the side, and then you're switching. So again, finding what is comfortable for you. Maybe that's small, maybe you're really getting that internal external rotation. And this also might depend on your chair. Yeah, Use your chair for balance if you need it side to side. But notice you get that release. You're moving internally and externally with those hips, but also you're getting a little release in the back as well. One more each side and here. And then just to continue with that hip stretch, let's cross one leg over. So if you're able to bring it all the way up to here, if you don't have space for that, maybe you're sitting at your desk. You can cross below and just kind of leaning over, you're going to feel that hip stretch. So finding what's best for you. Sometimes that's just mobility and sometimes again, you might be sitting at the desk and you just need to get a little stretch through here. But leaning into that again, breathing into that. You can gently press that top knee down. If you need to, you can pull up on that foot. This is where I often feel the most tight. So we really need this stretch. Then keep that. Come to a seated position and I want you to take this opposite hand and look over your shoulder. So we're still getting that hip stretch. You can also take that back arm and either reach at the bottom of the chair or the top of the chair, or even over to the opposite side. You'll get a little stretch through the shoulders, through your neck, looking over the shoulder and then continuing that hip stretch. And let's get the same thing, other side. So we'll start with that hip stretch again. Keep it low if you need to, bring it up if you can. And extending, leaning over again if you want, you can gently press that top knee down or pull up on the bottom foot, feeling a stretch through the hip back through that piriformis. Sometimes we call this the figure 4 stretch. You can do it down on your back. You can do it seated, you can do it standing. Few deep breaths and then coming up to seated, but staying crossed, reaching across, looking over your shoulder. And if you can, reach behind the chair or even just down to your side, opening up the chest and shoulders. And then let's keep with that upper body. Let's just take it first with some little goal post switch. So we're here to here. So trying to stay level with the shoulders and then down. And what you're trying not to do is hold that tension here. Really just think about the movement through the shoulders, right? Yep. Thank you. Thank you for answering me. I always imagine that out there, they're answering me. And then take it up here. And then just do. Imagine you have a wall, little arm slide or a little press. And you can decide if you want to bring those elbows all the way down to the side to open up the chest. You can. Often they answer when I say, are you ready? They're like, nope, not really here. And then let's take those arms to the back. And if you're able, if you have a chair that you can grab onto and you can shift if you're sturdy and comfortable with that leaning away. If not, just reach those hands to the back and feel that stretch. And then bringing it up, just little neck rolls. Let's take it down to one side down, chin to chest and then other side. We're not going to go to the back. We're just going to keep it small at your own pace. Down to the center, other side, and whatever range of motion, if you're keeping it small, if you're going a little more, whatever is best for you, and then back to center. So if you need to stay seated, you can stay seated. Otherwise, if you're able to get out of your chair, we'll just get a little movement. We're just going reach up. And if you're able, you can add a little standing to that and then reach it down. I like to swing my arms to the back so we really get full up. Again, you can just do this with the upper body if you need to stay seated. But just to give you some options, and if you're somebody who again, works at a computer, sits at a desk for your job or a good portion of your day, it's always good to get out of the chair if you can. I always tell my clients to set an alarm on their phone or their computer to get up every half hour. Every hour. Even just the act of standing can make a big difference in how your body feels. Let's get one more. And then you can either have a seat, you can place your hands on your desk, or reaching forward. Or if you're able, we're going to come up to standing, come behind your chair. We're going to turn our chairs so you can see, but you can certainly just come behind and we're just going to walk our hips to the back in that hinge position, driving your hips back again, making sure this is a sturdy chair that you're not going to be pulling it. Maybe you have a rolling desk chair, so just be careful. But driving the hips to the back, feeling that stretch to the shoulders, and you can even move side to side, like pressing your shoulder down or pressing one arm down at a time, shifting your weight in your hips, whatever feels good for you. Again, a great way to get some mobility from a standing position if you have that option. And again, I encourage you, if you're able, get out of that chair frequently throughout your day. This is a great way to use your chair for a few little stretches. Then we're going to bring it up. We can do a handing standing hamstring stretch from here, leaning into that just like we did from the seated position. So if you're still seated, just take it there and then other side right here, one more each way. So again, these are a little bit more of our mobility active stretches, but certainly you can hold for longer if you need to. And one more, and then just keeping a hand on the chair, reaching over big stretch and then take it out to the other side. Big reach. A few of these just to close it out. Wanted to keep most of this actually in the chair, but I know it feels good to get up and out of that chair. So remembering these moves, stretching through your back and then a few little hip rolls from here, go out. And then if you want to bring them in, you can also come in. And then let's get one big deep breath in and out. That was your chair mobility workout. Seated with a little bit standing. Make sure you get that throughout the rest of your day. If you have time for. Or get this while you're watching tv, sitting at the kitchen table, whatever it is for you, a great way to get some mobility from the comfort of your chair. Great job, everybody.