A short routine works because it removes friction. Instead of waiting for the perfect time, energy or plan, you move through a few helpful patterns and get on with your day. The routine below is the one I would give a friend who sits a lot and has not exercised for a while.
The 10-minute routine
- Breathing and spinal waves, 1 minute. Sitting tall, breathe in and lift the chest, breathe out and round the back gently.
- Cat-cow, 1 minute. On hands and knees, 8 slow rounds, moving with the breath.
- Hip circles, 1 minute. Standing with hands on hips, 6 slow circles each direction.
- Supported low lunge, 1 minute 30. One knee down, hands on a chair or your front thigh, 45 seconds each side. Feel the stretch at the front of the back hip.
- Hamstring stretch, 1 minute. Heel on a low step, hinge forward from the hips with a long back, 30 seconds each side.
- Wall slides and chest opener, 1 minute 30. 8 slow wall slides, then 30 seconds in a doorway chest stretch.
- Glute bridges, 1 minute. 10 slow bridges, pausing for a breath at the top.
- Balance, 1 minute. Stand on one leg next to a wall, 30 seconds each side.
- Finish, 1 minute. Stand or lie still, breathe slowly and notice what feels different from when you started.
Easier and harder versions
- Easier: do the lunge standing with a hand on a chair, do bridges with a smaller lift, keep a hand on the wall for balance.
- Harder: slow every repetition down, hold the bridge for 3 breaths, try the balance with your eyes looking at a point further away.
Prefer to be guided? The 7-Day Move Better Reset is 7 short video sessions, 10 to 15 minutes a day, for €9.
Try the Reset for €9Why this works
It covers the areas that most often feel stiff after 40: spine, hips, shoulders and the back of the legs. It also includes a little strength (bridges) and balance, because range you can control lasts longer than range you only stretch into. Most of all, it is short enough to repeat, which matters far more than a perfect routine you never do.
Is ten minutes enough?
Ten minutes a day is a strong start for stiffness and for building the habit, but it is not the whole picture. Guidelines for adults recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strengthening on two days (NHS). Short sessions can still matter: a 2026 Penn State study of adults aged 65 and over found that a four-minute daily strength workout improved chair stands and balance within 12 weeks (Penn State), although that study used strength exercises in older adults, not a mobility routine. The full picture, including what a short daily routine can and cannot do, is in Is 10 Minutes of Movement a Day Enough?
How to make it stick
Do it at the same time each day for a week, ideally attached to something you already do, such as after your first coffee. Keep the mat visible. Aim for done rather than impressive. If you want one focus per day instead of the same routine, try the 7-day mobility plan for beginners.
Before you start
If you have joint pain, a recent injury, osteoporosis or a heart condition, check with your doctor or a physiotherapist before starting. Stop any movement that causes sharp or pinching pain.
