Incorporating Movement Prep and Team Building
Here at Vimocity, we’re made up of a team of people with an array of interests- from music to technology to hunting. But there’s one thing we can all agree adds value to our lives- and that’s exploring the outdoors. With recent new additions to our team, we decided to plan a company activity to get to know each other better, build trust, and most importantly to practice what we preach by incorporating movement into the activity.
Tony, our Content Marketing Manager, suggested we schedule a team hike at one of our favorite local mountains. (NOTE: Initially, Tony wanted to bring his 120-pound sandbag to carry up the mountain together as a team, but much to the relief of the rest of the team, the sandbag got left behind…this time.)
The hike the team settled on was Mt. Si, a challenging 8-mile hike with 3,150 ft. of climbing so naturally, we all knew that preparing our bodies for the hike was a good idea. The morning of the hike, each of us made a point to complete our own personal movement prep routine based on our unique needs and preferences. Check out how each member of the Vimocity team prepared our bodies to safely complete the hike:
It was an early morning hike, so I made sure to spend a few minutes rolling out my legs with the massage roller to warm up my muscles and make sure they were ready for the hike. – Deb Maier, Business Development
Over the past several years I have hiked Mt. Si many times, so I knew I needed to prepare my body well for the 3+ hours of constant motion. Upon waking, I got on the floor of my apartment and released the muscles in my glutes/hips toallow for improved mobility and more fluid motion. Just before the hike I did a few hip openers and standing marches to warm-up my hips and legs. The hike was awesome; I felt great afterward! -Sean Cornell, Senior Performance Manager
Knowing I had a weekend filled with activities ahead of me, I made sure to wake up a little earlier so I could roll out my back on my foam roller, I also used it to roll out my calves. And since I’ve been having some hip issues, I did a few hip openers to loosen things up. With just a few movements, I was ready to rock. – Tony Matesi, Content Marketing Manager
I tend to get tight in my calves when hiking up hills and tight in the quads when I go downhill. Before our hike, I rolled out the arch of my foot, my calf, hamstrings, glutes, and quads before we jumped in the car. Once we arrived, I did five hip hinges and five hip openers on each side and felt great! – Kevin Rindal, CEO
Before the hike, I did some brisk walking and dynamic stretching. It felt awesome, and I enjoyed every minute of the team hike! – Dana Rindal, Co-Founder
I made sure to get enough water, do some quick rolling out of the legs and work on some ankle mobility exercises. I try to create momentum every morning to make sure it carries me throughout the day, and an early morning hike doesn’t get much better! – Adam Compton, Business Development
My focus was on my hips and feet. I did some dynamic stretching for all four sections of my hips: medial, lateral, anterior, and posterior. I followed this by rolling the arch of my feet slowly with a golf ball in a heel to toe motion……..hurts so good! – Steve Yahns, Performance Manager
We all walked away from the hike feeling tired but mentally refreshed and most importantly, injury-free and ready to take on the next adventure, which for us was discussing business strategies over Mexican food.
This hike was a great reminder to the Vimocity team that no two bodies are the exact same and that everyone does Movement Prep a little differently, but the important thing is taking a few minutes to do something.
No matter what drives you or brings you joy, all activities are enhanced when our bodies feel good and we’re not in pain. Each and every member of the Vimocity team is dedicated to providing companies and the people that make them awesome the needed resources to maintain their movement health and feel good!
Looking for a way to start bringing movement health to your life and the lives of your team members?