6am hits. I slowly roll out of bed. I go straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. I fire up the electric kettle and grind some coffee beans. I grab the French press from the cabinet. I pour the ground beans into the French press, pour the hot water in the French press and look at my watch.

My morning mobility movement meditation starts now. I got 4 minutes until my coffee brews to a perfect morning cup of goodness.

I lay down a mat in my apt, set the timer on my watch and I do this:

I take deep inhales, deep exhales, bringing myself into the moment. How’s my body feeling today? Man, my ankles are tight this morning. Holy shit, my lower pain is a little stiff.

I listen. I breathe. I simply scan up and down my body to see what’s going on. I take it all in. I move. I flow. I breathe. After 4 minutes, I come to a seated position, take 3 deep breathes and then I think about 3 things I’m grateful for.

I sit up and slowly walk towards the wonderful scent that’s flowing out of the French Press for my delicious cup of coffee. I pour my cup of goodness and I’m ready to charge the day.

This one habit has had the most positive impact on my body and brain over the last 2 years.

It’s no more than 5 minutes and it literally changes the rest of my day. The days that I start like this are just amazing. For anyone who struggles with low back pain or general stiffness, these 5 minutes could very likely change your life.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Here’s the reality – if you’re over 30 and you’ve used your body in any physical way over the course of your life, and you haven’t proactively done anything to stretch, recover with soft tissue work, address any nagging pain, then there’s a very likely chance that many of your joints don’t move that well. When joints don’t move well, the body doesn’t function as well.

This becomes problematic when you want to push hard and do an intense workout, play some pick-up basketball, go for a surf, take a long bike ride, or even play a harmless game of tag with your kids. What happens when joints don’t move well and you have extremely tight muscles, the body compensates.

Muscles become overworked, tension builds, imbalances are created and nagging pain is the norm. At the very least, even if you get lucky enough to avoid injury, and can handle some muscle pain, your performance will suffer greatly. Without well functioning joints, you wont be able to do the activities you love as much.

I don’t know about you, but life is about living, right?!

If you want to move your body well, be pain-free, bulletproof your body from injury, and perform your best, you should check out this 5-minute routine below.

Morning Mobility Movement Meditation

Here’s how it works. You find a quiet spot in your house or apt. Somewhere where you have enough space to lie down with your hands spread wide outside your body. You set a timer for 4-5 minutes and go through a series of movements below. You end the session with 3 things you’re grateful for.

I hate using the word “should” in any coaching context. Who the hell am I telling you what you “should” and “shouldn’t” do? You of course need to make up your mind and decide what you should do. You are in control. But here are 2 solid reasons why I believe everyone “should” do some kind of morning movement. 

1) Strong, Supple, Durable Body

All I can say is that if you want a strong, supple, pain-free body, then this 5-minute routine will work wonders for you. I know for me and many of my clients, this has been a complete game-changer.

Personally, neglecting flexibility for many years put me in a position in my early 30’s where I was tighter than a tin man. I could barely touch my toes. My hips were super stiff. My shoulders didn’t move that well. My feet and ankles had poor range of motion.

This 5-minute morning routine has allowed me to make so much progress with my flexibility and mobility. I feel lighter on my feet, my joints hurt less, and my low back pain is gone. I’m able to do the things I love with my body that I wasn’t able to do before. My Active Passions are full of life right now because of my 5 minutes in the morning.

I’m still using the heck out of my body and plan to for the foreseeable future.

Thinking back over the last week, I’ve

• Played a 2-hour tennis match in 95 degree heat.
• Surfed for 8 hours over the weekend.
• Practiced yoga daily.
• Completed 3 weight lifting sessions.
• Completed 2 4-mile beach runs.
• Lead multiple small group fitness classes on the beach.

Let’s just say I’m an active guy. Without my morning moving meditation, there’s no way I would be able to do all these things that I do.

What you want to do with you body? Whatever that activity may be, doing this 5-minute morning movement meditation will set up to do that activity better.

2) Small Morning Win = Success For Rest Of The Day

It’s not only that your body will feel good with a morning mobility movement meditation, but more importantly it’s the psychological win that you get by doing something deliberate first thing in the morning. It’s the little momentum that you get from the simple act of accomplishment.

This small win first thing in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. It tells your subconscious brain, I’m in control here. It’s the same reason I’m an avid bed maker these days.

Life is not happening TO you. You’re not living in some reactive mode where you are constantly pulled in 10 different directions. You’re telling your brain that you’re making shit happen for you, you’re taking a proactive step in the direction of better health. This is a huge difference. Think about it for a second. You are in control. Of course, shit will happen, people will be shitty to you, things wont go your way, but always always always – by doing your morning routine you’ll at least have some positive part of your day already in the books.

Morning Mobility Movement Meditation

Perform each move for about 1 minute. Complete all 5 for total of 5 minutes.

• Hands and kness – arch and round
• Hands and knees – hip rocking
• Glute bridge
• Dead bug
• Standing toe touch to walk out and push-up
• Finish with thinking about 3 things you are grateful for.

The idea is to create a morning mobility movement meditation that works perfectly for you, your body, and your needs. The above basic routine will hit all the major joints in the hips and shoulders, 2 of the biggest problem areas of tightness for most people.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing more morning movement meditations that target more specific areas. If you have a certain area you want me to cover, please reach out to me and let me know by dropping me a note to team@saltwaterfit.com. We get back to all messages within 24 hours. 

What To Do Next?

The best way to know exactly what movements will be the best for YOU and your specific body is to do a quick assessment. I created a basic assessment that takes all of 30 seconds – you can do right now by entering your info below. Go on, I promise you’re going to get some value out of it.