I've been increasing my lower-body mobility and speeding up exercise recovery — here’s how I do it in just 5 minutes

Woman stretching into a lunge on a boardwalk.

I often experience tightness in my lower body, particularly in my hip flexors, which can stem from several factors: spending too much time sitting at my desk, engaging in repetitive high-impact activities like running, or simply carrying stress and tension throughout the week. The one thing these factors all have in common is that they could be alleviated with some mobility work.

To address this, I decided to keep things simple and time-efficient by starting a 5-minute mobility routine every night before bed. The routine, created by qualified Pilates instructor and personal trainer Katy Bath, is easy to follow and can be done at home or in the gym. All you need is one of the best yoga mats to get started.