Ah stretches… they feel so good; we know they feel so good, yet very few of us actively stretch on a regular basis. We would rather optimize our gym time with a “real” workout, with a few half-hearted warmup/cooldown stretches thrown in, than to spend 10-15 precious minutes of our gym time on stretching our bodies.
But stretching is a necessary component of any fitness routine. It keeps your body agile and mobile, giving you an enhanced range of motion that can complement any exercise format. From yoga to HIIT to everything in between, your workouts will certainly benefit from muscles that are looser and more flexible.
Even if you aren’t following an exercise plan at the moment, your body will still benefit from a stretching routine. Why? Because you do use your joints and muscles for even the simplest tasks. Staying flexible and supple will make your life that much easier, every single day.
So where to start? Well, one of the areas that people complain about the most is their hips. “My hips feel tight,” was a constant lament even before 2020 and the months of lockdown. For most people, there’s an undeniable change in our lifestyles now. After months of sitting on the couch, working from home/Zooming/binging Netflix, there’s been one overwhelmingly common effect: sore hips.
The exercises below are my 3 favorites that I use in my Group Fitness classes to combat sore, tight hips. You can do these at any time to stay loose – I do some of them before I even get out of bed in the morning.
** Important points to remember**
- I am not a doctor! Please go see a doctor if you are in pain.
- Stretching should never hurt. If any of these poses hurt, please stop immediately.
- A stretch should be held for 3-5 deep breaths. You can deepen the stretch on your exhales.
PIGEON POSE
Begin in a tabletop position.
Bring your right knee forward, between your hands. Your right foot should rest behind your left hand, in front of your left knee. The outside of your right shin will rest on the floor. Keep your right foot flexed to protect your knee.
Slide your left leg back. The front of your left thigh will rest on the floor. Press the tops of your left toes onto the mat
Try to keep equal weight distribution in both hips as you place your hands on either side of your body.
If you can, elongate your spine and fold your body forward.
FIGURE 4 POSE
Start flat on your back.
Bend your left knee and bring your left foot in close to your glutes.
Place your right ankle on your left knee. Use the palm of your right hand to gently push your right knee away from your body.
Interlace your fingers behind your left thigh and pull it in towards your chest.
Keep both feet flexed to protect your knees.
BUTTERFLY POSE
Seated on the floor with a straight spine, bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together.
Bring your heels as close to your body as possible without rounding your back.
You can use your elbow to deepen this stretch by pushing your knees towards the floor.
Need more stretches? What other parts of your body are sore? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll round ’em up for an upcoming blog post!
