This quick routine was designed to help you relax and open your hips. After sitting at the desk and in the car for a long time, you and your hips deserve a break. We can’t be stuck in a sitting, crunched positions for long periods of time. Since we need to work and have no choice but sit at the desk, we should try to move as often as we can.
You will need a swiveling chair or a stool. We can use the chair movement to help with our movement. This requires some balance so I recommend trying all these slowly and with some support – like a desk to hold on to.
Begin with a gentle full body stretch, stretch your arms out, do some sitted cat-cow stretches, try to slowly touch your toes.
Couch stretch
This exercise uses a chair as a help but requires balance because the chair will move. Be careful and if you’d prefer, use a chair without wheels or a couch. Place the knee on a chair as shown in the picture. Maintain your balance. Try to stretch your hip flexor, apply slight forward pressure at your hip. Repeat with the other leg.
Adductors stretch
Simply place your knee on the chair as shown in the picture below. Start moving the leg left and right- opening and closing your hips. Move slowly, it’s a gentle stretch. Repeat on the other side.
Knee drop
Stand little farther from the chai. Put your foot on the chair with the knee up. Keeping your foot in place, drop your knee inward and downward, toward the chair. If you are using a swiveling chair, use it to keep your balance in check. Try not to move the chair too much. This can be challenging so you can make it easier by using a wheeless chair. Repeat with the other side.
Knee rotation
Place your knee on the chair and hold your foot. Use the chair swivel left and right. Repeat on the other side.
Hip tornado
This exercise can be performed with a moving or wheeless chair. Place your foot on the chair with your toes and knee pointing up. Face your torso away from the chair as shown in the picture below. Now start slowly twisting your leg, pivoting your toes and knee downward, then reverse the motion focusing on moving only the leg that’s on the chair. Make sure you’re not moving your body. This exercise can be performed with only a little movement, but it will make you feel the stretch. Repeat with the other side.
That’s it! This routine might be short or longer, depending on the amount of time you have. In everyday life we don’t really give our hips many opportunities to move. We sit so much and when there’s time for class and those side kicks, we do feel like we should have been stretching more. This is not a fix it routine but I believe it can be a good start to build up on it and add many more exercises, stretches and so on. Try to add yoga before, during or after. There’re so many great hip opening asanas that don’t take much time and space to perform, such as warrior poses, triangle or seated poses. I wrote about the advanced routine here ( https://www.martialjournal.com/open-your-hips/) and you can find that and more in my book (reviewed here https://www.martialjournal.com/reach-your-goal-review/)
Anna is a co-author of a book: "Reach Your Goal. Stretching and Mobility Exercises for Fitness, Personal Training and Martial Arts" available on Amazon.
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