One of the questions I get asked is “what the best warmup is for X, Y, or Z?”
It would be super simple if there was a blanket answer of three things that would be the perfect solution for everything.
But we’re talking about the human body, so of course, it’s not that simple. 😜
Is it best to start with dynamic movement of the hips and shoulders? Or just stretching the hips? Or breathing?
To be honest, the best warmup is to move more.
Take your dog or cat (or any mammal, for that matter). Sure, they sleep for 22 hours a day – but what’s the first thing they do when they wake up?
Stretch.
And they play.
And they roll around.
And they jump.
A tiger doesn’t need to do warm up before it chases down a deer. It just runs. Because it’s survival depends on catching dinner.
Animals move their bodies and sit in ways that put their joints and tissues through as many different positions as possible. They’ll lay on one side, the other, or on their back.
Sure they might have their favorite positions, but I’ve seen about 101 variations of sleeping positions from both my dog and my cat and i’m sure your pets have 101 of their own.
We’ve forgotten that we’re not that different biologically from other mammals. Yes, we have a ginormous brain that allows us to think creatively – but to the physical structure of your body, we’re not that different from other animals.
The solution isn’t another warm up. It’s to be more human.
It’s to express your humanness through movement, exploration, adventure and play. Move your body more and you won’t need a warm up. Keep it simple and set yourself up to get stronger every day.
That is how you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way.
PS Ready to get stronger with every movement you do? Here are 3 ways I can help you now:
- Join the AE Wellness Body Nerds and connect with other busy women on a quest to get stronger and wake up every day without pain.
- Join me for my next online class, Movement Managed and learn how to get stronger and more flexible without hurting yourself in the process.
- Book a free Movement Magic session and get a personalized plan for getting stronger, more flexible and pain-free. Want to trust your body and it’s ability to move without creating an injury? Do you need accountability so that you don’t start and stop something…again? Let’s talk. Tell me a bit about what’s going on and schedule your call here.
