This 4-Week Mobility Challenge Eases Joint Pain From Neck to Ankles

There's more to mobility than the 3 minutes you're used to stretching before or after your workouts — really!

Stretching primarily targets your muscles to improve flexibility. Mobility focuses on moving your joints through their full range of motion. That's essential to managing everyday tasks more easily and without pain, especially as we age.

Maybe for you it's a twinge in your lower back, an ache in your shoulders or pain in your neck, knees or ankles. No matter where you feel a hint of discomfort, prioritizing mobility can help relieve tightness and tension.

That's why we created our 4-Week Mobility Challenge with Lore McSpadden-Walker, CPT, founder of Positive Force Movement. All you need is your body (and a yoga mat, if you'd like) to start feeling better.

We're launching this challenge on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, but you can start it any time you like — either as a standalone practice or in addition to your regular workouts.

Each week, you'll repeat three different mobility workouts: one with floor-based moves, the second with kneeling and seated moves and the third with standing moves.

Here's your weekly schedule:

• ‌Wednesday:‌ Floor-Based Mobility
• ‌Thursday:‌ Kneeling and Seated Mobility
• ‌Friday:‌ Standing Mobility
• ‌Saturday:‌ Rest
  
• ‌Sunday:‌ Floor-Based Mobility
• ‌Monday:‌ Kneeling and Seated Mobility
• ‌Tuesday:‌ Standing Mobility

Print out the calendar above or save it to your phone and use it each day to help you stay on track. Do the workout listed, then check off each day as you complete it.

Our community of more than 57,000 members is here to support and motivate you through this challenge. Tell the group how the day's routine went, post photos or videos of your workouts or share your favorite mobility-related meme or motivational quote.

On Day 1, start with the Floor-Based Mobility moves. Check out the links below for details on each of the three workouts:

• Floor-Based Mobility
• Kneeling and Seated Mobility
• Standing Mobility

Every Saturday, you'll have a rest day. Even though mobility is low-intensity and low-impact, you're still applying just a bit of stress and stretch to your joints and muscles, so you want to give them a chance to recover. Plus, it's a nice mental break, too!

You can take the day off from exercise entirely if that's what your body needs, or you can try something active but low-intensity like swimming, yoga, tai chi or walking.

‌Check out these ideas for how to spend your rest days:‌‌

You made it to the end of the 4-Week Mobility Challenge! Take some time to appreciate that accomplishment — and let us know how it went in our Challenge Facebook Group.

‌​When you're ready, keep your momentum going with another challenge, such as:‌