Feel Better In Your Body: Increasing Mobility with Myeloma

One of my favorite sessions in the ASH Wellness Studio series was the “Feel Body in Your Body”. 

This session focused on mobility, and together we put our learning into practice and focused on several mobility exercises- eight reps each. 

It really stressed to me the importance of focusing on our mobility instead of moving throughout the day “going through the motions”. Our bodies are a vessel, and we need to take care of them in intentional ways. 

Here are some of the stretches that we did. The physical therapist leading the session told us that they are “anti-work” mobility practices, meaning that they are especially for those who find themselves sitting for most of the day at a desk job, or maybe less mobile throughout the day than they would like to be. 

This being said, no matter how active you are, chances are you will benefit from these exercises. Make sure to talk to your 

90/90 Shoulder Stretches 

90-90 Shoulder Rotation by Bernadette Cordeau - Exercise How-to - Skimble

While the demo listed here from skimble.com shows both arms going down at the same time, we switched which arms were up/down at a certain time. No matter how you perform the exercise, it can help reduce tension from your shoulders (a place I didn’t realize I was holding so much stress!) 

Lateral Side Squats 

How To Do Side Squats

If you are unaware of how to complete this mobility exercise, check the link at gethealthyu.com that can help guide you. I loved these because lateral movement isn’t something that I usually have access to without thinking about it intentionally- especially after a week of sitting/walking. 

90/90 Hip Stretch 

How to do a 90/90 Hip Stretch properly - CORRECT FORM IS ESSENTIAL - YouTube

This is a tougher stretch and might be difficult for those with lower flexibility, but if you feel like you’d like to try to manage it, it’s incredibly helpful with our hip flexibility. Take it slow, check out this very helpful video from Jack Hanrahan Fitness, and enjoy the great flexibility you achieve (overtime) in your hips!

After a long, exhausting, and exciting week, this session was a breath of fresh air. Keep up your mobility by trying these (or other mobility) exercises. Talk to your physical therapist or physician to get good mobility ideas!