Mobility training might not make for exciting dinner conversation. “I want to be able to live independently as I age,” isn’t as flashy a goal as training for a marathon or a long-distance hike on a European vacation — but it is one of the most overlooked parts of a healthy exercise routine.

Mobility is what powers everyday activities like carrying groceries up the stairs, getting up off the floor and keeping up with the activities you care about as you age.

We spoke with Collin Foley, a doctor of physical therapy with Houston Methodist, about what mobility means, and why it’s never too early (or too late) to start mobility workouts to preserve your strength and movement as you age.

What is mobility?

Mobility is often used as a catchall term for stretching, flexibility or feeling loose. For a physical therapist, Foley says the definition is more specific. Mobility is your ability to move through your day independently: to get up, sit down, walk and shift from one position to another.

"Mobility is truly your ability to transfer — to get out of bed, to get off a chair, to get off a toilet, to get out of a car, to get off the floor — and then to be able to walk," Foley says. "Walking has its different aspects of it, as well. Walking on level ground, walking on unlevel surfaces, such as stairs or grass.”

Mobility vs. flexibility and range of motion

Flexibility and range of motion are part of mobility, but they describe different things:

• Flexibility is how well muscles can lengthen.

• Range of motion is how far a joint can move.

• Mobility is how you use flexibility, range of motion and strength to move your body.
  
  

Foley says tight hip flexors are a good example of how the three connect. When your hips can't fully extend, you can't stand fully upright, and your stride shortens when you walk. The flexibility issue creates a range-of-motion issue, which creates a mobility issue.

"You can be perfectly strong but have limitations in your joints that will make it almost impossible for you to stand up," Foley says.

RELATED: The Surprising Signs of Weak Hips & How to Strengthen Them

Why mobility is a spectrum

Mobility can change throughout a person’s lifespan due to a variety of factors. Health history, past injuries and personal goals all factor in, according to Foley.

"Mobility does look a little bit different for everybody," Foley says. "If you're an athlete versus an older person, it can look quite a bit different. For example, I would expect a younger person to be able to get up from the floor using no hands, period, whereas for someone older, using their hands wouldn’t be a bad thing, because they can perform a floor transfer."

Physical therapists look at where you've been, not just where you currently are with your mobility. Someone who has been at a certain level of function for years has what is called a baseline. The next question is what they want to do from there.

“I tend to look at mobility probably a little bit different than other people because I do it based off of what you've been able to do in the past and maybe what you want to do in the future,” Foley says. "You're only limited by your own drive, to be honest.”

Why mobility matters more than most people realize

Mobility is closely tied to independence and quality of life. Having good mobility enables us to do everything we need and want to do unassisted. This includes movements such as sitting, standing, walking, climbing stairs, getting out of bed and many other everyday movements.

Typically, Foley says the less mobility you have, the less self-sufficient you are. As mobility declines, activities such as bathing, dressing, driving, shopping and even our hobbies can become difficult.

"A person that does not prioritize mobility would not be able to live alone later in life and can be dependent on others for many of their daily activities,” Foley says. “From a physical therapy standpoint, my job is to help people be as independent as they possibly can, regardless of what their health status may be, as well as giving them a realistic expectation on what they might be able to do.”

Luckily, Foley says it’s never too early or late to start working on our mobility. Mobility is trainable at almost any stage of life, although Foley emphasizes that the earlier you start protecting it, the easier it is to keep.

Mobility work is always important, but becomes imperative after 30

While we might work out for aesthetics, social connection or for the simple love of recreational sports when we’re younger, Foley says that exercise should become more purposeful as we age.

"If you don't exercise after age 30, your mobility starts to become impacted. Our bodies are either getting stronger or weaker. We don't maintain a certain level of fitness without effort, and once you lose it, getting back takes two or three times as long in most cases.”

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Collin Foley, doctor of physical therapy

Foley says there’s a reason why it becomes more challenging to build muscle as we age.

“After 30, your body stops producing growth hormone," Foley says. “You actually start losing growth hormone about 5 to 10% every decade after age 30.”

The phrase “use it or lose it” does apply to mobility. So how can we exercise to preserve our mobility?

What is a mobility workout?

A mobility workout isn’t one single prescribed exercise technique. Mobility draws on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and control. No single discipline trains all of those at once, so mobility work pulls from several types of movement to strengthen the whole body.

“A mobility workout refers to a wide variety of exercise designed to help someone become more mobile," Foley says. "It can include but is not limited to strength training, flexibility, balance, cardiovascular exercise and proprioceptive training. A mobility workout is one that improves a person's ability to transfer, stand and walk.”

Foley says a well-rounded mobility routine includes:

• Strength training to support and move your joints

• Flexibility work to keep muscles lengthening properly

• Balance practice to reduce fall risk

• Aerobic activity for endurance

• Proprioceptive training, which sharpens your awareness of where your body is in space
  
  

Strength training is key for protecting muscles, bones

Whether you call it strength training or resistance training, it is one of the best things we can do to preserve mobility. This type of exercise is comprised of pushing and pulling movements while using the resistance of an object, whether it’s your body weight, resistance bands, free weights or gym machines.

Studies show that resistance training helps slow, and in some cases, reverse age-related bone loss. The same can be said about the muscle loss that comes with aging. One study examined muscle tissue samples from individuals engaging in strength training and found that the exercise slowed and even reversed the changes in muscle fibers related to aging. This was even true in individuals over 70 years old.

“Mobility requires strength, so all the varying types of exercise do work together and are beneficial at reducing joint stiffness as well as joint pain," Foley says. "Muscle not only moves joints, it also supports them."

This type of exercise is also closely linked to better health outcomes. Another study showed that engaging in 90-120 minutes of strength training each week was linked to a 13% reduced risk of early death. Adding in aerobic exercise to the routine increased the benefits to longevity.

Aerobic exercise is anything that can get your heart rate up, whether it’s walking, running, cycling, Zumba or aerobics themselves.

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Yoga, Pilates and stretching aid flexibility, range of motion

Yoga, Pilates and stretching all have value in helping improve flexibility and range of motion. Both yoga and Pilates can help someone practice balance and are great options for low-impact workouts.

Practicing Pilates can aid in muscle strength, especially in the core. A study in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation showed that Pilates was effective in improving scores on the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), a tool used for screening how well someone can move without any compensation.

Train the whole body to continue enjoying hobbies

"If you have a specific activity that you want to be able to do better, the best way to get better at that activity is to practice," Foley says.

For example, if someone is passionate about a sport like golf or pickleball, they’ll want to practice for improved swing. Throwing, swinging or rotating are all motions that come from the legs as much as the arms, Foley says, so you’d also want to train the lower body as well.

“You really can't neglect your legs for the sake of your arms or vice versa," Foley says. "You really do need to use your entire body when you think about exercise. Try to pick an exercise routine that makes you use your arms, your legs, your hips, your back, your ankles, every muscle that you use every day."

How to start a mobility routine

For someone new to structured mobility work, two or three short sessions a week is enough to build a habit. Full-body movement — squats, hinges, reaches and rotations — does more than long stretching sessions.

For someone looking for the best workout split for strength and mobility, Foley says a common framework: the 4-2-1 split. This is a plan that includes four days of strength training, two days of cardio and one dedicated mobility day.

"A 4-2-1 approach is appropriate for most people because most exercise routines tend to overlap; mobility is incorporated into all forms of exercise," Foley says. "Stretching, however, is important but is not considered a stand-alone exercise."

If someone has a specific joint limitation, Foley suggests daily targeted work on that area, since joint motion doesn't need the same rest period that heavy strength training does.

Examples of simple mobility exercises for achy joints can include:

• Tight, achy back: hip hinges, child’s pose, table/counter extension, hip rolls.

• Stiff hips: hip circles, mini or full lunge, side stepping, hip 4-way

• Tight shoulders: shoulder circles, reaching behind the back, overhead behind the head, wall Vs.
  
  

How often should you do mobility work?

Consistency matters more than complexity when it comes to mobility work and exercise, according to Foley.

"There is not a one size fits all approach to mobility," Foley says. "The best mobility exercises are the ones that you enjoy doing and something that you will do on a regular basis."

A few general guidelines:

• Daily small doses work well for tight joints or specific limitations.

• Two to three longer sessions a week are a solid baseline for general mobility.

• Frequency beats intensity: a short routine done four times a week does more than a long routine done once.
  
  

A simple way to test your mobility at home

Curious about your baseline mobility? You can test yourself at home using a screening test using a chair.

"Stand up from a regular height chair five times in a row. You should be able to do that in under 11 seconds," Foley says. "That's usually my baseline test. If I had a younger person, I would probably have them try to do the test single legged."

If this screening test is a struggle, or you find yourself pushing off the armrests, that's useful information, Foley says. It's a signal that your lower-body strength and mobility could use some attention.

Why you shouldn't skip balance work

Balance is central to mobility and to staying upright. Foley says basic movements take more coordination and balance than you would think.

Balance relies on three main inputs:

• Vision, which tells your brain about your surroundings

• Sensation, which is what your feet and joints feel beneath you

• The inner ear, the vestibular system that tracks head position and motion
  
  

When any of these systems experience an issue, whether it’s due to aging, injury or a condition like diabetes-related neuropathy, balance is impacted.

"There's a much higher instance of falling in the middle of the night because your vision is limited in the dark," Foley says. "When your balance is affected, your ability to walk on uneven surfaces goes down significantly."

RELATED: Signs of Weak Glutes & How to Strengthen Them

How to practice balance at home

Balance improves with practice. Here is a simple progression that can be done near a counter for safety:

• Stand with your feet together, eyes open, for 10 seconds.

• Stand with your feet together, eyes closed, for 10 seconds.

• Stand in a tandem stance — with your feet one in front of the other — eyes open. Switch sides.

• Repeat the tandem stance with eyes closed.

• Stand on one leg, eyes open, for 10 seconds. Switch sides.
  
  

"I usually have people do this in the kitchen with their hands on a counter," Foley says. "That way, if they feel like they're going to fall they are supported, and then if they feel comfortable, they can lift their hands up."

Standing on one leg for a prolonged period can be tough for anyone, even for younger people. But single-leg work supports activities such as going up stairs or stepping over objects in your way. Single-leg exercises can help support balance, and it can be as easy as practicing standing on one leg.

"Everybody should be able to stand on one leg for 10 seconds, right or left, and not fall over," Foley says. "If you can do that, you're going to be able to go up and down stairs fine. You can step over objects just fine. If you can't, your chance of falling is greater."

What a simple 5-minute mobility routine can look like

Foley says a whole-body mini mobility routine can take very little time and reinforces the movement patterns your body uses every day.

Foley recommends one set of 20 reps of each:

• Squats (supported with a chair or counter, or unsupported)

• Hip hinges

• Counter extensions

• Hip circles

• Shoulder circles

• Neck circles
  
  
  

"The best exercises are the ones that get your whole body moving," Foley says.

Done a few times a week, this routine touches every major joint and gets blood flowing.

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When to see a clinician

If you've been noticing changes in how you move, or a recent injury or surgery has set you back, getting evaluated sooner is almost always easier than waiting it out. Mobility issues are simpler to address before the body has spent months compensating around them.

"A person should be evaluated if they notice difficulty performing their everyday tasks," Foley says. "It is recommended to address problems early rather than waiting until they are unable to perform tasks independently. The longer you wait to seek treatment, the more difficult it is to restore the loss of independence."

Consider seeing a clinician for any of the following:

• Visible swelling or bruising

• A pop or snap followed by sharp pain you can't move past

• Difficulty with everyday tasks like standing, walking or climbing stairs

• A new limp or change in how you move

• Pain that hasn't improved after about two weeks and is causing significant modification of daily activities

• A fall or a near-fall that happens more frequently

• A specific goal — returning to a sport, recovering from surgery, getting back on the trail — that needs a clear plan
  
  
  

A primary care clinician can rule out anything serious and refer you to a physical therapist for a more detailed evaluation if needed. A physical therapist will assess your strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance and the specific activities you want to get back to, then build a plan around your starting point and your goals.

If you’re on the fence about seeing a doctor, Foley suggests it’s better to be safe than sorry.

"It is much better to schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor for them to take a quick look at you and say, 'Yes, everything's fine,' or 'Let's take an X-ray because what you're telling me doesn't sound right,'" Foley says.

Don't wait to work on mobility

Foley says motion is lotion for our joints. Without exercise, or the “lotion,” we may begin to compensate in our movements. Compensation is part of why small mobility issues can become a bigger issue. The body adjusts around pain or stiffness, and over time, those adjustments create new problems.

That’s why he says it’s never too early to start training to preserve mobility, but it’s also never too late to improve it, either.

"Start now, no matter what stage of life you are in or your current state of health," Foley says. “Your health can change in an instant, and so can your mobility. The flu, a broken bone, even a stroke can affect how you are able to move and care for yourself."

Soreness is one of the most common reasons people quit mobility work, Foley says. A twinge shows up, and the person assumes something's wrong and they stop moving. Most of the time, that's the wrong call. Soreness after a new or harder workout is expected, especially after months (or years) off. The instinct to stop moving usually makes things worse.

"Hurt and harm are not the same thing," Foley says. "Just because exercise is painful does not mean that it is harming your body. Anytime you start a new activity, you will have some discomfort."

Foley says moving past any emotional or physical discomfort to continue with exercise will help your body as you age.

"The best thing you can do for your body is to keep it moving,” he says.