My Hips Feel Really Tight.... what can I do?

Great question! I don't know about you, but when my hips get really tight I often have subsequent lower back discomfort and... I get really cranky because it makes my daily living tasks more difficult to perform. The primary causes of a majority of hip issues are often tight hip flexors (the Psoas) and weak core strength (causing the hip flexors to work harder)

So, what can we do to help? We can start by increasing flexibility in the hip flexors and strengthening the core muscles of the trunk and the bottom (the gluteus). A great exercise to choose to help this condition is the Side Kick Series exercise called Front/ Back.

To perform Front/ Back:

• Lie on your side with your head either resting on your bottom arm or propped up with a bent elbow

• Have your legs out at a slight angle in front of you - line yourself up against the back of the mat, and have your feet at the front of the mat

• Make sure your feet, hips, and shoulders are stacked one on top of the other

• For the action: engage the abdominals to stabilize the torso and swing your top let forward as far as you can kick without rocking in your torso/ shoulders

• Do a little 'kick, kick more' (pulse forward twice) to get a long stretch in the hamstrings

• Then swing the straight leg behind you reaching longer and getting a stretch in the front of the hip.

• Repeat 5 - 10 times each side.