What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word fitness? We think of a hard workout, sweating and muscles. But dig a little deeper. Below that muscle we have joints! Everyone thinks that joints just lose mobility and become worn as we age, but what if there was a way to keep that same joint range of motion even as we get older. There is a way. Movement!

Think way back to evolution, all the way to cavemen and the first humans. We were meant to hunt and gather, meaning that we were constantly moving and using our body to its full potential. As technology advanced and cars were invented, we began to sit at desks for hours and hours and use vehicles and planes for transportation. Eliminating half of our movement and not allowing our bodies to use the range of motion we originally had.

Are you in control of your body?

Stop where you are at and take off your socks and shoes. Now try to lift your big toes off the ground without lifting the rest of your little toes. Pretty difficult right?? The invention of shoes was a game changer but it has it’s down falls. One being that we have lost our connection and balance through our feet. Imagine if we couldn’t control our fingers?

We should treat all of our joints with the same love and keep them moving to decrease the risk of injury. Working and increasing your joint mobility is just as important and possibly even more important than strengthening your muscle.

So how do we increase our range of motion?

Controlled Articular Rotations (CARS)

What in the world does that fancy term mean? CARS is the movement of a single joint to its full range of motion. Starting from the neck and all the way down to your toes. By creating tension and focusing on the limited range your joints have each day (morning) we could increase that range and be better humans.

How do you do a Controlled Articular Rotation?

First you must create tension by bracing the core, squeezing the glutes, grounding through the feet and creating a fist with the opposite hand of the joint working. From there, you want to focus on one joint and move that joint within the range of motion allowed in all directions without overcompensating using other muscles and joints.

For example: Neck CARS

1. Brace core, squeeze glutes, make fists with both hands.
2. Bring chin to sternum
3. Slowly rotate head looking to the right until you hit the first block and cannot move any further.
4. Begin rotating head back continuing in a circle.
5. Look over to the left until you hit the block and make your way back to center
6. Rotate in the opposite direction.

You will be shocked at how still certain joints may be! Now, I challenge you to move each of your joints every morning and you will find that your range of motion will be greater, you will have more control of your body and this will allow you to excel in your strength program.

So you want to get back into shape. Feel better overall maybe? Or even just shed those couple pounds that have been weighing you down. For some, physical activity comes easy and enjoyable. For others, it is a miserable task that they try to avoid. There are so many different styles of training and sports out there, that one of them is bound to match your goals and abilities. The most important part of starting a fitness journey is to enjoy the process. When the body is put through physical tests, it releases endorphins and the feel good hormones. You may feel the strain and muscle fatigue in the duration of the workout, but the aftermath is where all those feel-good hormones come into play. Physical activity doesn’t have to be intense and a chore. Team sports and intervals with different movements can make a workout fun for anyone!

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

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You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

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When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.