Not medical advice. Everything on this website reflects my personal practice and private observations only. I have no medical, physiotherapy, or nutritional qualifications. Please consult a qualified professional before changing your exercise or eating habits.

Four Years of Notes on Flexibility & Joint Mobility

My name is Arex Gilman. This is where I share what I personally notice when I practise gymnastics floor work, follow a daily stretching routine, and adjust what I eat — for my own reference, and for anyone who finds it interesting.

Read the Journal My Personal Approach
4
Years of Personal Notes
80+
Journal Entries Written
0
Medical Qualifications
From the Journal

Recent Entries

These are excerpts from my personal notes. I write to track what I observe in my own routine — nothing here is advice, instruction, or a recommendation to anyone else.

Movement
14 March 2025 · 6 min read

What I Noticed After Adding Hip Circles to My Morning Floor Routine

For about six weeks I spent the first twelve minutes of each morning on a yoga mat, working through slow hip circles and side-lying leg sweeps. In my own experience, I felt a noticeable difference in how my hips moved when I stood up after long periods of sitting — though I want to be careful not to overstate what that means or why it happened. I recorded my observations each day, and those notes are what I share here.

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Nutrition
28 January 2025 · 5 min read

My Observations on Bone Broth and How My Mornings Felt Differently

I started preparing a simple bone broth at home and drinking a small cup each morning for about eight weeks. What I personally noticed was that my overall sense of ease during my morning stretches felt different — not dramatically, but enough that I kept writing about it. I cannot explain the mechanism, I am not qualified to do so, and this reflects only what I observed in my own practice during that particular period.

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Flexibility
5 December 2024 · 7 min read

Three Weeks Without My Evening Stretch: What I Wrote Down

A busy period meant I missed my regular evening floor session for almost three weeks. I kept notes during that time about how my body felt in the mornings compared to weeks when I practised consistently — specifically around my lower back and the outside of my knees. The comparison was interesting to me personally, and I documented it in detail for my own records. None of this constitutes advice of any kind.

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AG
4 yrs of personal notes
Who I Am

Just Someone Who Keeps Notes

My name is Arex Gilman, and I live in Rotterdam. I am not a physiotherapist, personal trainer, nutritionist, or any kind of health professional. I have no formal education in exercise science, anatomy, or dietetics. What I do have is four years of handwritten and digital notes about my personal gymnastics and stretching practice, and a genuine habit of paying attention to what I notice.

This journal started as a private document — a place to track what I was doing each week, what felt different, what I kept returning to, and what I eventually dropped. At some point I decided to make it public, because I find other people's honest accounts of their personal practices genuinely useful to read, even when they come without expertise or guarantees.

I practise on a mat at home, mostly in the morning. My sessions involve gymnastics-inspired floor movements, passive stretching, and some bodyweight work. I also pay attention to what I eat, not from a prescriptive standpoint, but because I noticed changes in how I felt when certain things shifted. Everything I write is a record of my personal experience — nothing more, nothing less.

I have no qualifications in any health, medical, or fitness field. This journal is not a substitute for professional advice. If you have concerns about your physical wellbeing, please speak to a qualified professional.

Rotterdam-based Personal journalling Floor gymnastics Food observations Zero credentials
My Personal Practice

The Three Things I Keep Coming Back To

After four years of notes, I can see three areas I return to most consistently. This is not a programme — it is a description of what my personal practice looks like.

01

Floor-Based Gymnastics Movements

The core of what I do is time on the floor: slow controlled rolls, passive holds, and gymnastics-derived shapes. In my personal practice I spend between twenty and forty minutes each morning in this kind of work. I have no idea whether what I observe is related to any specific mechanism — I only know what I notice in my own body over time.

02

Slow Passive Stretching at the End of the Day

I close most evenings with ten to fifteen minutes of passive stretching — positions I hold for longer than most people seem to. I use gravity more than effort. This is something I came to gradually over the first two years of my practice, and it remains the part of my routine I feel most settled about. My notes from this period are the most detailed part of the archive.

03

Eating Habits I Personally Track

I keep notes on what I eat alongside my movement observations. Over four years I have made various adjustments — more whole foods, fewer processed things, certain additions — and I write down what I observe after each period of change. I am not a nutritionist and I make no claims about what any food does or does not do. I only share what I personally observe in my own practice.

Questions I Get Often

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest answers to the most common things people ask me about this journal and my personal practice.

Important

No — absolutely not. Nothing on this website is medical advice, and it should never be read as such. This journal records my personal observations and nothing else. I am not qualified to give medical, physiological, or therapeutic guidance of any kind. If you have any questions or concerns about your physical health, your joints, your range of motion, or anything related to your wellbeing, please consult a qualified doctor, physiotherapist, or other licensed health professional. My notes are a personal record, not a prescription.

Important

No. I want to be completely clear on this: I have no qualifications whatsoever in any health-related field. I am not a doctor, physiotherapist, personal trainer, certified gymnastics instructor, nutritionist, or dietitian. I have received no formal training in anatomy, exercise science, or any related discipline. I am a private individual who practises daily movement and stretching and keeps detailed notes about his personal experience. The fact that I have done this consistently for four years does not make me an expert — it makes me someone with four years of personal observations.

The archive is a curated collection of my written notes from four years of personal practice. It includes: detailed descriptions of floor movements and stretching positions I have personally used, weekly observation logs with notes on how things felt on different days, my private food tracking notes and the observations I made alongside them, and an evolving glossary of the terms I use to describe what I notice in my own body. It is a journal archive — not a training guide, not a curriculum, and not a step-by-step programme.

I am genuinely not the right person to answer that question. Because I have no medical or physiotherapy training, I am not in any position to say whether anything I do would be appropriate, safe, or relevant for someone dealing with any kind of physical issue. My descriptions of what I personally do are not instructions intended for others to follow. If you are considering a new physical practice and have any existing health considerations, the only appropriate step is to speak with a qualified health professional first. Please do not rely on my personal notes for this.

A Movement Review is simply an online conversation with me about my personal practice. You share what your own routine looks like, I describe in detail what I do, and we discuss the observations I have made from my four years of notes. I do not assess, diagnose, or prescribe anything. I share my experience and observations; you draw your own conclusions. It is an exchange of personal perspectives, not a coaching or therapeutic session of any kind.

Honestly, because I find first-person accounts useful to read. When I was first trying to build a consistent movement practice, I valued reading about what other people actually did — not polished fitness content, but real notes from real routines. I share mine for the same reason: not because I think my approach is correct or optimal, but because someone else might find it interesting to read what one person observed over four years of consistent personal practice. The disclaimer at the top of this page captures my intent: this is a personal journal, not a guide.

What I Offer

Access to My Personal Notes

Three ways to engage more closely with four years of my personal practice documentation. None of these are professional services — they are access to one person's private journal.

The Flexibility Field Notes Archive

Full access to my curated personal note archive: four years of movement observations, stretching logs, food notes, and reflections — organised by theme and period.

€49
One-time access · digital download
80+ personal observation entries
Annotated movement descriptions
Four years of food tracking notes
Personal glossary & terminology
Enquire Now
Most Popular

One-Hour Movement Review

A dedicated online session in which I describe my personal practice in detail, walk through specific entries from my archive, and discuss observations from my four years of notes in relation to what you share about your own routine.

€88
Single session · 60 minutes · online
Detailed walk-through of my personal routine
Archive entries selected for context
Personal observations & comparisons
Written summary of the session notes
Book a Session

The Four-Week Mobility Series

A monthly programme in which I share new entries from my active practice journal each week, with written context about what I am currently observing. You follow along with my real-time notes for a full calendar month.

€188
Per month · ongoing journal access
Weekly new archive entries (4 total)
Current food observation notes
Monthly summary reflection note
Access to full archive during period
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What Readers Say

Feedback from People Who Read the Journal

A few words from people who have accessed my archive or joined a session. These are their own personal opinions.

★★★★★

"What I appreciated most was the honesty — Arex does not pretend to be an expert or make promises. The archive is simply a detailed, thoughtful record of what one person noticed over a long period. Reading it gave me ideas for my own practice and made me more curious about keeping my own notes."

MK
Martine K.
Amsterdam, NL
★★★★★

"I came to the one-hour session not knowing quite what to expect, and left with pages of my own notes. Arex is genuinely thorough in explaining what he does and why he keeps writing about it. It is not coaching — and he says that clearly upfront — but as an exchange of personal observations it was more valuable than I expected."

SV
Sander V.
Utrecht, NL
★★★★☆

"The Four-Week Mobility Series was a pleasant experience. Getting a new set of journal entries every week with Arex's current observations was genuinely interesting — it felt like reading someone's real diary of a practice, which is different from reading a fitness guide. I started paying more attention to my own mornings as a result."

FW
Fiona W.
Den Haag, NL
Find Me

Based in Rotterdam

Boezemlaan 30
3034 EM Rotterdam
Netherlands

Via the contact form below

I reply to messages within 2–3 working days

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Get in Touch

Whether you have a question about the archive, want to book a session, or simply want to share your own observations — I read every message and reply personally.

I typically respond within two to three working days. Please note that I am not able to give advice on physical or health matters — any messages requesting medical guidance will be redirected to appropriate professional resources.

Personal journal enquiries only. This contact form is for questions about my journal, services, and observations. For any health concerns, please speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

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