Essential Movements For Healthy Hips

Begin with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart and gently drop down into a comfortable squat. Allow yourself a few seconds or more to sit in this position to stretch your hip capsules.

Then, with your hands on your feet or ankles, anchor your arms on your legs while you unfold your legs out of the squat as far as you comfortably can or until your hamstrings are fully lengthened.

Alternate between the beginning squat position and the fully lengthened position for as many reps as is comfortable.

Then, take some time to sit in a comfortable squat position, and gently shift your weight from one side to the other, back and forth to further stretch your hip capsules.

Start on your pelvis and rotate your upper body 45% to your left, allowing your legs to assume a 90/90 position - hips and knees bent at 90%. Keeping your core activated, lower your upper body down toward your front leg for a few repetitions. Do this on the other side as well.

Then return to your left side, lower your upper body, and lift the foot of your back leg up to promote internal rotation of your backside hip. Do a few repetitions of this movement on both sides.

Lastly, stretch your hip flexors by assuming an exaggerated forward lung position, and pulsing your backside hip flexor down and forward for several repetitions. Repeat on the other side.