Mobility

Mobility is more than stretching: it's about moving a joint actively, using your own muscle strength, through its full range of motion. Flexibility tells you how far you can go when someone pushes you; mobility tells you how far you can get on your own – and whether you still have strength in that position.

Why it matters: if you can sink into a deep squat, stretch your arms all the way overhead and rotate your spine freely, you'll move more easily and with fewer aches and pains, both in everyday life and in sport. Lots of sitting shortens the hip flexors, stiffens the upper back (thoracic spine) and makes the ankles less mobile – which is why a mobility routine usually starts with these three areas.

Typical exercises include the deep squat while holding onto something, the lunge with a twist, “cat-cow” for the back, shoulder circles with a broomstick and ankle circles. The difference from plain stretching: you don't just hold a position, you move slowly and deliberately back and forth and briefly tense your muscles at the end point. Ten minutes in the morning or as a warm-up is enough; you'll notice the effect after a few weeks.

For weight loss, mobility is valuable in an indirect way: if you can move well, you go for walks more often, do strength training with clean technique and get injured less often. People carrying more weight in particular report that their knees and back feel noticeably freer after a few weeks of mobility work.

Children are the best role models: they sit effortlessly in a deep squat and twist in every direction. This ability isn't lost through age but through lack of use – and it comes back with practice.