A trainer recommends doing these seven exercises to improve your joint mobility and open up stiff hips

Lower body mobility is incredibly important, particularly as we get older and need to maintain a good range of motion in our joints to stand up and sit down. 

Unfortunately, sedentary lifestyles and sitting down for long periods can contribute to the weakening of the lower body.

So what can we do to combat this? While breaking up the day with some gentle movement can help you feel less stiff, strengthening and stretching the lower body could help prevent injuries and fend off aches and pains. 

Personal trainer Deanna O’Donnell has laid out her top seven moves to improve mobility in the legs and hips, using a kettlebell to increase the difficulty of some of the exercises. 

If you’re new to this style of exercise, you can just use your bodyweight for the moves, then add a kettlebell when you're feeling more confident.  

Watch Deanna O’Donnell's lower-body mobility routine

Why is lower body mobility important?

Yoga teacher Jodie Roberts explained to Fit&Well that the hips and back are the foundation of a functional body that moves well. If we don't look after them, we can suffer with all kinds of issues.

"Sitting down a lot means we overuse some muscles and underuse others in our hips and low backs. This can lead to poor hip mobility, poor movement patterns, poor posture, inhibited muscles and injuries and pain," she said.

The best way to prevent these problems is through strengthening exercises and mobility work. Amanda Place, founder of coaching platform Sculptrition, explained that doing this can promote positive aging: "it can help you build stronger muscles, increase your range of motion, improve your posture and reduce your risk of injury," she said.

So give the above routine a try, if you want to keep feeling limber in your lower body. For more ideas on how to improve mobility, try this hip mobility yoga flow or have a go at these simple hip stretches.  

Need some more equipment for your home workout sessions? See our guide to the best kettlebells