Reset Your Routine: Simple Mobility Habits to Start the Year Strong

January is the perfect time to reset, realign, and ease back into movement. After the holidays, many of us feel the effects of long drives, busy schedules, cold weather, and disrupted routines. The good news? Small, sustainable habits can make a big difference in how your body feels every day.

Here are a few easy ways to reset your routine this month and support better mobility, posture, and overall wellbeing:

Week 1: Try a 5-Minute Guided Stretch

A short stretch can help release tension from holiday travel, long periods of sitting, or simply getting back into your routine. Gentle movement wakes up your muscles, improves circulation, and sets the tone for a more aligned day.

Tip: Start your day with a simple mobility flow, guided by our director of training and experience, Kelsey Kerr, to ease into movement and feel more aligned.

• Seated Criss Cross: Begin with breathwork, taking five slow inhales and exhales to wind down and calm the mind.

• Neck Circles: Slowly rotate for 30 seconds in each direction.

• Seated Cat Cow: Staying seated in a crisscross position, round your shoulders forward, tuck your chin to your chest, and place your hands on your knees. As you inhale, gently curve your spine and hold onto your knees to create space between the shoulder blades. As you exhale, extend your spine, untuck your chin, and return to an upright seated position. Repeat for one minute.

• Standing Forward Fold: To finish, come to a standing position. Reach your arms overhead and inhale. As you exhale, lower your arms, hinge at the hips, and fold forward toward your toes. Pause for one breath in and out, then return to standing. Inhale as you reach your arms overhead and repeat for a total of five forward folds.

Week 2: Do a Daily Hydration Check

Hydration plays a big role in muscle elasticity, joint comfort, and recovery, especially in colder, drier months when we tend to drink less water. A quick hydration check each day supports better stretching and smoother movement.

Tip: Try keeping a water bottle nearby and sipping consistently throughout the day.

Week 3: Take Posture Breaks Throughout the Day

As work schedules ramp back up, posture often takes a hit. Small posture resets such as lifting the chest, relaxing the shoulders, lengthening the spine help reduce neck, shoulder, and low-back tension.

Tip: Set a reminder every hour or two to reset your posture, especially if you’re working at a desk.

Week 4: Add a Gentle Evening Stretch

Wind down with intention. A few simple stretches in the evening can help calm the body, improve circulation, reduce stiffness, and support deeper rest.

Tip: End your day with a gentle evening stretch, guided by slow breathing and intentional movement, to release tension and prepare your body for deeper rest.

• Seated Criss Cross: Begin with breathwork, taking five slow inhales and exhales to wind down and calm the mind.

• Seated Spinal Rotation - Criss Cross: Place your right hand on your left knee and your left hand behind you to assist with rotation. With each breath, focus on expanding through the chest and gently increasing the twist. Switch sides, placing your left hand on your right knee and your right hand behind you. Continue to breathe deeply as you work into the rotation. Hold for one minute on each side.

• Child's Pose & Thread the Needle: Start in a kneeling position with your feet together and knees wide. Sit your glutes back onto your heels. Walk your hands out in front of you and rest your belly on your thighs. From here, thread one arm underneath the opposite arm, reaching it long to come into Thread the Needle. Hold for one minute, then switch sides.

• Leg Rock Side to Side to Warm Up the Back: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Gently rock your legs side to side: Repeat for one minute.

• Side Lying Spinal Rotation: Staying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, let both knees drop to one side. Extend your arms out to a T to open the chest and encourage spinal rotation. Hold for one minute, then switch sides.

• Overhead Reach: Extend your legs long and reach your arms overhead for one final, full-body stretch to close out the routine and prepare your body for rest. Breathe in and out three times. Goodnight!

Anytime This Month: Book a Stretch at StretchLab

Sometimes the best reset is letting an expert guide the way. A personalized assisted stretch helps release deeper tension, restore alignment, and improve mobility in ways you can’t achieve on your own.

Whether you’re easing back into workouts, recovering from travel, or simply looking for more daily comfort, a session with a Flexologist can help you feel looser, lighter, and more energized as you start the new year.

Book your intro stretch today and experience the StretchLab difference.