Most people above the age of 30 have some type of hip limitation. I also wouldn’t be surprised by the next decade that age could become even lower. Since we are sitting so much more than when I was younger, we are going to continue to see these issues even more in the younger population. However, we can alter these limitations with just a few minutes a week to start seeing a change in these limitations.
Let’s look at the seated position. When we are seated, the hip is flexed so the muscles on the front (anterior) portion of the hip are shortened, while the muscles in the back (posterior) side of the body are lengthened. As well we tend to relax the torso onto the hips creating a tilt on the pelvis, which in turn causes a rounding of the lower back. All these actions cause the anterior, as well as the posterior muscles, to fail to contract properly and since these muscles become “weak” or inhibited. When this happens the others muscles sense this instability at the joint and tighten up to protect the joint. The overactive muscles say that your body can’t handle or control the body going into a motion and as a protective mechanism they keep the body from going there.
The body’s protective/compensation process is really amazing and shows how smart our bodies are. We just need to take time to correct these issues, otherwise we will continue to get tighter and more restrictive in our movements. That’s why we see the older generation slumped over or struggling to move. In the big scheme of things, the smallest amount of time can be dedicated to the body to avoid falling down this path. The most difficult part is creating a routine in our schedules to take care of our most precious item – our bodies.
That’s where hopefully these short videos come in! Maybe completing one video for each muscle group, each morning or evening would create a routine for you to start making time for your body. The cool thing is when we do this it doesn’t just benefit our bodies, it starts to pour into other parts of our lives…nutrition maybe, happiness, energy, Give these videos a try as I release them weekly and join me on a path of feeling good inside and out!
Hip extension
90/90
Frog exercise
Hip Circles (C.A.R.s)
