A Daily Mobility Routine for People Who Sit Too Much

Most people know they should move more. What gets missed is what prolonged sitting does to joint mechanics and mental output, even in people who train.

Extended sitting is associated with reduced hip extension mobility and increased stiffness around the hip.¹² When hip motion drops, the low back tends to pick up the slack during basic movement.

Why the hips matter

The hips drive a lot of lower-body motion and force transfer. When hip mobility is limited, lumbar motion often increases during lifting patterns.³ That tradeoff is one reason people feel their low back working harder than it should.

The mental cost of sitting still

Long sitting stretches make it harder to stay sharp. Research suggests that breaking up sitting with short bouts of activity can improve certain aspects of cognitive performance, and reviews link movement breaks with better attention and executive function.⁴⁵

A few gym sessions per week will not erase long uninterrupted sitting. If most of your day reinforces the same positions, stiffness tends to persist.

Daily movement routine

Performing this routine 2-3x per day will open up your hips, restore basic movement, and unload the spine from prolonged sitting.

✅ Stand and walk 1–2 minutes

✅ Open hip extension and rotation

✅ Re-engage the glutes so the low back is not doing everything

This routine with a strength training program performed 3-4x a week will support long-term joint health and movement quality.

See the daily reset here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIPt7I5IKfQ/

Sources

¹ https://www.mskscienceandpractice.com/article/S2468-7812(20)30587-7/abstract

² https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7922112/

³ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35026497/

⁴ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6625720/

⁵ https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-024-00113-7