Do you have tight hips? – part 1
Many of the clients we see exercise regularly but I have never heard anyone mention including in their workouts exercises that focus on the hips. Yet, this is extremely important, as sitting for long periods of time can cause your hip flexors to become tight or weak or both leading to problems with posture and back pain. In addition weak hip flexors contribute to foot, ankle and knee injuries.
Sitting is a primary culprit in tight hips and thighs because the muscles are rarely extended (although they may also become tight from working out). To lengthen and strengthen these muscles, try this move created by Suzanne Bowen, creator of BarreAmped, an internationally taught barre technique chosen by Fitness Magazine and Natural Health Magazine as the best barre workouts in 2015.
You’ll need a chair or kitchen counter for support. Start out in a kneeling lunge position with your right foot in front and leg bent at the knee in a 90-degree angle. Your left knee should be a few inches behind your left hip. To do the exercise, Bowen recommends:
“1. Press forward a few inches into your right leg just until you feel a gentle stretch in the opposite hip.
If you have very tight hips, this might be as far as you go. (Protect the front knee by making sure it doesn’t extend out beyond the toes.) For a more advanced stretch, straighten the left leg behind you and then press forward.
2. When you’re ready to move on, reposition the rear leg as needed so you can stretch your right leg straight out in front of you.
Keep your back straight and lean a few inches forward from the hips and feel the stretch in the right hamstring.”
Hold each position for two to five deep breaths, then switch sides.
References
Los Angeles Times January 9, 2016
Related Posts
Self help to prevent a stiff neck
Previously I shared my produced for how to treat a stiff neck. In this blog post I want to share my tips for on prevention of stiff necks for those that are prone to them. Firstly, make sure you practice proper posture regardless of what you’re doing, such as positioning computer monitor at eye level and moving your neck frequently when driving to ensure your muscles remain nimble. Secondly, if you notice your neck muscles start to tight as you do core exercises then place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth to assit your neck muscles to relax. Produces for Stiff Neck Prevention
1. Roll your shoulders backwards and down 10 times. 2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times. 3. Place your hands at the back of your head and push into them, then hold for 30 seconds. 4. Tilt your head shoulder to shoulder 10 times on each side.More on building your resiliance
Following on from last week’s entry on building resilience, it is important to state that resilience don’t just help you manage stress but it fosters inner strength to help you meet goals, life challenges and achieve success. Most of my clients hold more or less physical tension which I would like you to think of as a bad habit that relaxation will help you break. Relaxation is like changing the idling speed on a car. When a car turns over too quickly, wasting expensive fuel and putting a strain on the engine, the mechanic can reset the idling speed to a much lower level. Similarly when busyness, concerns, time pressure have speeded us up too much, making us tense and irritable, we can learn how to let go and attain a much calmer state of being. So taking the time to learn what relaxes you! It is worth re-emphasising the point that it is possible to make an enormous difference to your state of mind through yoga, tai chi, relaxation and meditation and all other sorts of physical exercise. While most of celebrate our wins, it is also important to celebrate when we do good for others, as often other’s don’t notice. We all know life has its ups and downs, when your life is in turmoil, you may not do things "perfectly". Rather than worrying or simply surviving turmoil, why not ask what you can learn from the situation. But don’t beat yourself up, remember you always do your best, when you know better, you do better! One habit that I try to cultivate to help put a smile on my face especially when I am feeling down is to cultivate a gratitude attitude. However bad my day goes, before I got to sleep I try to think of three things that I am grateful for. These don’t need to be big things; it can be as simple as “I am grateful that the transport system ran on time” as I had a busy day. A gratitude attitude helps foster joy, fulfilment & peace of mind.
An alternative way to do simple mindfulness (Part 1)
Most mindfulness techniques have at their heart a simple instruction. Focus on your breath... This is supposed to be simple, but what if it isn't simple for you? What then? For people struggling with anxiety it may increase the feelings of panic. Mindfulness involves placing our attention on a chosen anchor, noticing when our mind is distracted or wandering and choosing to return it back, with a king and friendly curiosity towards the experience. You should start simple by focusing 1 - 5 minutes or even do short 30 second bursts a couple of times during the day. So, I want to introduce you to a few alternatives to using breathing as the anchor focused around our senses. 1. Look & Focus Choose an everyday object in the room to look at and become aware of the colour, shape or light reflections. I personally like looking at a light candle as its often flickers so there is movement too.
