The 10-Minute Mobility Routine for Desk Days
Hours at a desk leave hips tight, shoulders rounded and backs grumbling. The fix doesn’t have to be a 60-minute class. Ten focused minutes at the end of the working day makes a noticeable difference.
The routine
Spend 90 seconds on each move. Breathe slowly through your nose and never force a range that hurts.
- Cat–cow. On hands and knees, alternate between arching and rounding your spine, moving one segment at a time.
- World’s greatest stretch. From a lunge, place both hands inside your front foot, then rotate and reach the inside arm to the ceiling. Alternate sides.
- 90/90 hip switch. Sit with both knees bent at 90 degrees to one side, then rotate them to the other side. Use your hands for support at first.
- Thread the needle. On all fours, slide one arm under your body and rest your shoulder on the floor. Then open it up to the ceiling.
- Downward dog to cobra. Flow slowly between the two, pausing for a breath in each.
- Deep squat hold. Sit into a deep squat, holding onto a doorframe if you need to, and gently rock side to side.
Make it a habit
Attach the routine to something you already do — closing your laptop, or putting the kettle on after work. After two weeks it stops being a task and becomes the bit of the day your body looks forward to.
Mobility isn’t about touching your toes. It’s about owning the positions your life asks of you.
