Doing just five minutes of gentle exercise per day can help keep your joints strong and mobile.
Image Credit: FG Trade/E+/GettyImages Most people tend to focus only on building strength and creating muscle definition when working out, but it’s important to prioritize your joints, too. After all, your joints are the support system behind your muscles; you aren’t able to move your muscles at a full range of motion if your joint mobility is off.
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Having healthy joints also contributes to living pain- and injury-free as you age. That's because movement increases your joint strength, so they are more resilient when absorbing impact. When you don't exercise or do any physical activity, your joints actually degenerate. Plus, the more you strengthen your muscles, the more functional your joints will be.
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To help you keep your joints strong, try this 5-minute workout. Do each move for the prescribed number of reps or time once through.
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Image Credit:
LIVESTRONG.com
Move 1: Inchworm
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Abs, Arms, Shoulders and Legs
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge your torso forward at the hips so your hands touch the ground. Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward until you are in a high plank position, stacking your shoulders above your wrists. Hold the plank for 2 seconds, then walk your hands back to your feet while keeping your legs straight. Stand back up to the starting position.
Show Instructions
Tip If you have limited flexibility, you can bend your knees.
Move 2: Half Squat
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and push your butt back, lowering your body a few inches. Drive through your heels to stand back up and squeeze your glutes at the top.
Show Instructions
Move 3: Clamshell
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
10
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Lie on your side with knees bent and your hips stacked. Rest your head on your bottom arm and place your other arm in front of you for balance. Keeping your heels together, rotate your top knee open until you feel the tension in your side glute. Lower your knee back down to the starting position. Do 10 reps and repeat on the other side.
Show Instructions
Move 4: Calf Raise
Skill Level
Beginner
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Legs
Stand with your feet together. Lift your heels off the ground and come up onto your toes. Pause here for a second, then bring your heels back down to the ground.
Show Instructions
Tip For balance support, hold on to a steady object, like a chair or the wall.
Move 5: Supine Twist
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
6
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Shoulders, Back and Chest
Lie on your side with knees bent and your hips stacked. Place both arms out in front of you, palm to palm. Keeping your arms straight, rotate your top arm open, and let it fall behind you as far as you can comfortably go. Make sure you are following along with your head. You should feel the stretch in your shoulders, back and chest. Hold here for 2 seconds. Bring your top arm back to the starting position.
Show Instructions
Tip Keeping your hips stacked allows you to hone the stretch in your upper body.
8 Range of Motion Exercises to Keep Your Joints Strong and Healthy
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references
Merriam Webster
references
Merriam Webster
Doing just five minutes of gentle exercise per day can help keep your joints strong and mobile.
Image Credit: FG Trade/E+/GettyImages
Image Credit: FG Trade/E+/GettyImages
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Abs, Arms, Shoulders and Legs
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge your torso forward at the hips so your hands touch the ground. Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward until you are in a high plank position, stacking your shoulders above your wrists. Hold the plank for 2 seconds, then walk your hands back to your feet while keeping your legs straight. Stand back up to the starting position.
Show Instructions
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Abs, Arms, Shoulders and Legs
If you have limited flexibility, you can bend your knees.
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and push your butt back, lowering your body a few inches. Drive through your heels to stand back up and squeeze your glutes at the top.
Show Instructions
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
10
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Lie on your side with knees bent and your hips stacked. Rest your head on your bottom arm and place your other arm in front of you for balance. Keeping your heels together, rotate your top knee open until you feel the tension in your side glute. Lower your knee back down to the starting position. Do 10 reps and repeat on the other side.
Show Instructions
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
10
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Butt and Legs
Skill Level
Beginner
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Legs
Stand with your feet together. Lift your heels off the ground and come up onto your toes. Pause here for a second, then bring your heels back down to the ground.
Show Instructions
Skill Level
Beginner
Time
40 Sec
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Legs
For balance support, hold on to a steady object, like a chair or the wall.
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
6
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Shoulders, Back and Chest
Lie on your side with knees bent and your hips stacked. Place both arms out in front of you, palm to palm. Keeping your arms straight, rotate your top arm open, and let it fall behind you as far as you can comfortably go. Make sure you are following along with your head. You should feel the stretch in your shoulders, back and chest. Hold here for 2 seconds. Bring your top arm back to the starting position.
Show Instructions
Skill Level
Beginner
Reps
6
Activity
Body-Weight Workout
Body Part
Shoulders, Back and Chest
Keeping your hips stacked allows you to hone the stretch in your upper body.
8 Range of Motion Exercises to Keep Your Joints Strong and Healthy
by
Jaime Osnato
A Gentle 5-Minute Total-Body Workout You Can Do Every Day
by
Jaime Osnato
Do This 20-Minute Side-to-Side and Rotational Workout for Healthy Joints
by
Jaime Osnato
Merriam Webster
