WINTER-PROOF YOUR STRENGTH & MOBILITY

5 Essential Movements Before the Holiday Hustle

As we move into the winter months, the colder weather and darker days often bring more time indoors and a lot more sitting. When the days get shorter, our activity levels tend to drop. More sitting (and scrolling) means tight hips, rounded shoulders, and sluggish posture. Between colder temps, holiday travel, and seasonal routines shifting, it’s easy for stiffness, fatigue, and aches to sneak in.

We know that moving well is the foundation of feeling strong, whether you’re snatching a barbell, chasing your kids or dogs, or just getting through a long workday without tight hips or sore shoulders. So how do we combat this? Add in some more mobility throughout your day.

What mobility means:

• Control and range of motion: the ability to move a joint through its range of motion actively and with control, which includes flexibility plus strength and neural control. Think of flexibility as a component of mobility

• Essential for daily life: Good mobility is crucial for performing everyday tasks like bending to tie your shoes, walking, and standing up without stiffness or pain. 


Focusing on mobility can help you:

• Reduce risk of injury: By preparing your joints and muscles for movement, you are less likely to get hurt during exercise or daily activities. 




• Enhance athletic performance: It allows for more efficient and powerful movements in sports and fitness. 




• Improve daily function: It makes everyday activities easier, from walking to getting up from a chair. 




• Increase strength: Developing strength through a full range of motion can lead to greater overall strength. 




• Relieve pain and tension: It can help release built-up tension and lead to a more relaxed and limber body. 


Essential Movements to Keep You Strong & Supple

When considering which mobility movement to fit into your day, consider the areas that get the most stiff or tight from our days (e.g. sitting a lot). I recommend focusing on hips, lower back, upper back, and shoulders. Here are five mobility exercises you can work into your day to maintain your mobility and feel better in your daily life:

1. Dynamic 90/90s

• Why it matters: Move your hips side to side to get them moving through full range of motion and out of flexion, where they spend most of the day.

2. Prying Goblet Squat with Kettlebell

• Why it matters: Mobilizes both hips and upper back, holding a weight will allow you to get a deeper movement and into an uncomfortably beneficial position.

3. Half-kneeling Thoracic Rotation with a Medicine Ball

• Why it matters: Restores upper-back mobility and spinal rotation, countering hours of sitting and slouching.

4. Dynamic Scorpions

• Why it matters: Mobilizes the low back and spine flexibility, which helps with soreness from sitting.

5. Turkish Get Ups

• Why it matters: Targets hips, shoulders, and upper back in one movement, and will help improve your awareness of where your body is, making it functional and useful for everyday life.

Recovery Tips for Winter

• Prioritize your warm-up and cool-down

• Stay hydrated: Even in cooler temps we can still feel dehydrated, it’s just less noticeable

• Add light movement daily: Walks, stretching, or yoga keep joints happy between training days. Bonus points if you manage to get outside and into the fresh air even in the cooler temps.

• Use tools: Foam rollers, bands, or mobility balls help maintain tissue quality

Move Better This Winter

Before the holiday hustle kicks in, give your body the attention it deserves. Hop into a class or training session to learn more about working mobility into your workouts and life. New to PFP? Start with a fitness assessment to learn how you can maintain and build your strength, energy, and mobility starting this winter.