If you only have five minutes to move, a trainer recommends doing this mobility routine to stretch out your hips, back, and thighs

It can be hard to find time for exercise, which is especially bad if you have a full-time job that involves a lot of sitting, because you’ll need to dedicate more time to counteracting the effects of your nine-to-five.

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to squeeze movement into your day, and as a result, I log off from work with a cranky back and stiff hips.

To address this, I caught up with Peloton trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule and asked her what I should do if I only have five minutes to move.

She suggested a mobility routine that targets lower-body muscles like the hip flexors and glutes, while also encouraging rotation through the mid- and upper back.

I tried her five-minute session after a long spell at my desk and I finished feeling significantly looser and, surprisingly, a lot less stressed afterwards. Here’s how to do it.

The moves

1. Child’s pose: 2min
2. World’s greatest stretch: 30sec each side
3. Pigeon pose: 30sec each side
4. Adductor rockback with thoracic rotation: 30sec each side

1. Child’s pose

Sets: 1 Time: 2min

• Kneel on the floor with your feet together and knees wider than hip-width apart.
• Bend forward from the hips and stretch your arms in front of you.
• Rest your head on the floor and breathe deeply.

Child’s pose opens up the hips and stretches out the back, which will feel satisfying if you’ve been hunching over your laptop for a while.

The real point of this pose, however, is that it allows you to relax and slow down your breath, which can help you ease into the stretches that follow.

“I really like child’s pose for just relaxing you a little bit, helping you breathe in, slowing you down,” says Thompson Rule.

2. World’s greatest stretch

(Video credit: Getty Images / Iuliia Zavalishina)

Sets: 1 Time: 30sec each side

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend over, place your palms on the floor and walk your hands forward until you are in a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
• Step your left foot forward, to the outside of your left hand.
• Lift your left hand up, straightening your arm.
• Lower your left arm, reaching your left elbow to your left foot.
• Continue for time, then repeat on the other side.

“I love the world’s greatest stretch,” says Thompson Rule. “It’s called that for a reason.”

This move will stretch tight hip flexors and help you get some rotation through your thoracic spine,. I also felt a satisfying stretch in my shoulders and quads.

3. Pigeon pose

Sets: 1 Time: 30sec each side

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Bring your right knee towards your right hand and right foot towards your left hand, so that your shin is horizontal between your palms, or as close as your mobility comfortably allows.
• Extend your left leg behind you.
• Keep your hips level as you hold the pose.

It’s a great stretch for targeting the hip flexors, at the top of your leg, and your glutes, too. If you find it difficult, you can maintain a soft bend in the back knee, or try this elevated pigeon pose variation.

4. Adductor rockback with thoracic rotation

Sets: 1 Time: 30sec each side

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Step your right foot out to the side and extend your right leg.
• Keeping your hands on the floor, rock back and forth for 10 seconds.
• Place your right hand behind your head.
• Bring your elbow down towards the floor, then rotate your torso the other way to point your elbow up.

Thompson Rule says this is a great warm-up move to do before squats, because the initial back-and-forth movement stretches the inner thighs. Adding the rotational element will also loosen up your back after a day at the desk.