It started when my cast came off. After breaking my 5th left metatarsal (the small bone on the little toe edge of the foot), I’d been in a shin-length cast for more than a month.
The muscles in my foot and calf had shrunk down to next to nothing. I had almost no mobility in my feet and ankles. Even before the break, I’d noticed when I first got up in the morning that my movement was clunky and my joints were reluctant to, well, move. But after the surgery, when I first got up I was walking like the Tin Man after a rainstorm.
As soon as the cast came off, I began mobility exercises before I got out of bed in the morning: simple ankle circles and toe stretches to get all those creaky parts oiled up.
Over the coming months, I put together a Morning Mobility Practice that helped get not just my injured foot but all my parts warm and lubricated at the beginning of the day. By investing just a few minutes in the morning, I moved better, more fluidly, and with much less pain all day and I was more inclined to do other kinds of movement during the day.
If you can relate to the “morning creakies,” you can easily create a practice for yourself based on your body, your needs and your abilities. It’s simple!
Making a Morning Mobility Practice is like following the recipe for a soup. The recipe gives you the basic components but if you want to throw in more tomatoes and some kale, use fewer peppers and put squash in instead...COOL!
Just pick a simple movement or two that feel good for each part. Go for dynamic movements, that is, movements that are flowing, not static. This is not about stretching or hanging out in one position for much time. Instead, this is about getting your parts moving. You can do it on the floor, standing, from a chair or a combination.
The 5 Ingredients for A Morning Mobility Practice
1. Spine
2. Hips
3. Knees
4. YOU
5. Strength
Here are some examples of mobility movements for each part (and honestly there are countless ways to do this):
1. Spine
cat/cow: on all 4s, in a chair or in standing
cape swirl: a gentle twisting movement around your body from standing or seated with arms heavy, wrapping and unwrapping your torso
upper spine lengthener: place your hands on a counter or stable table and pull back with your spine long and parallel to the floor, wag your tail a little
2. Hips
move back and forth between lunge to a hamstring stretch
squats or chair sits
90/90 switch: sit on the floor with your feet flat and your hands behind you on the floor; let your knees fall to one side and then to the other.
3. Knees
knee extensions: on your back, feet in the air, press palms to your thighs and bend and straighten your legs
chair lunge: stand in front of a super stable chair or low table and place one foot on the seat of the chair/table; bend and straighten knee. Switch sides.
4. YOU
What does YOUR body need right now. For me, it’s usually my feet and ankles after my injuries but it could also be
Shoulders
Neck
Hands
Anything that could use attention and movement
5. Strength
Keeping muscles both mobile and strong is essential the longer we live in our bodies. I strongly recommend a strength training practice but for the purposes of your Morning Mobility Practice this could be
Wall sit
Plank or push ups
Calf Raises
I’ve even made a short video Create Your Own Morning Mobility Practice: 5 Ingredients to Get Your Body Moving Every Day to walk you through the simple process.
A Morning Mobility Practice has had a profound impact on how I move and feel in my body every day. I hope you’ll experiment with creating one for yourself* that calms your morning creakies.
*And if you have any questions or need suggestions for whatever constraints you have, I'd love to help. Just put a comment below or email me at susanjanemcculley@gmail.com.