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Mobility-500x450If you don’t use it, you lose it: This is how mobility works. We are born with an innate ability to move—look how “bendy” any two-year-old is. As your mobility declines, muscles shorten and joints become stiff. Because our bodies are efficient, they shut down the areas that become unused. This leads to stiffness and pain in a downward spiral that gets worse with age.

A mobile body is Gene Kelly dancing in the rain, a gymnast executing a tumbling run, a yoga practitioner holding a deep stretch, or your parents dancing to a Viennese waltz. We are all born with an innate ability to move, but by the time we reach our late teens or early twenties, we spend less time moving and more time sitting.

With increased mobility comes grace and ease—a body whose movements are precise and coordinated. You experience a freedom that comes from the absence of chronic discomfort. Your body responds quickly to the commands your mind issues.

The good news is that your body is malleable: Given time and consistency, it will adapt. It’s simple: Pay attention and take action. Developing a daily habit around consistent mobility, wherever you are, gives you the ability to reshape your movement over the long term.

We’re all aware of the effect of a lack of action in this area. By paying attention to your body’s mobility now, you give your “future you” a shot at being agile, mobile, and fluid.

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Andy Petranek
Andy is what you’d call a modern day Renaissance Man: a former professional trumpeter who attended the Eastman School of Music; a snowboarder, mountain biker, surfer, kayaker, outrigger paddler, mountaineer, and former Marine (Gulf War veteran); a professionally sponsored adventure racer; and the oldest participant to qualify for and participate in the CrossFit Games at the age of 43.

Andy is a certified CHEK Practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. He holds a spectrum of certifications from CrossFit and is also a Vivobarefoot certified running coach. He has trained as a Zen buddhist and graduated with a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.

Andy founded CrossFit LA one of the first and most successful CrossFit training centers in the world and the first to be featured in national media. He is the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, Inc, currently its president, and is also a consultant and life/business coach. Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and son, Dashel.