Hip Hip Hooray for Spring!

by Nancy Alexander, PT, CSCS

Last month we discussed the importance of creating a post-pandemic plan to get active again. Creating a plan is one thing, but it’s the DOING that matters. Hope is not a strategy.

Cue Spring! There is no better time than now to put your plan into action and get moving. Spring is a time for renewal, for growth. Embrace what is going on around you with warmer temperatures and increased sunshine, regardless of where you live. Be inspired by flowers blooming and trees starting to bud. Be hopeful for your future and renew your desire for better health and fitness. Now is the time to ramp up your activity level and move more. Here’s how you start.

I want to give you a place to start, an area of focus. Where you start can feel overwhelming, particularly if you were sedentary and inactive in the recent past. An area of focus can help you break down your plan to manageable first steps. My patients and clients absolutely love when I provide a focus for them.  They appreciate the direction and instead of getting anxious about the future, they get excited about it and welcome the journey ahead almost immediately.

Like I said last month, your body will need time to adjust to a new plan that should include a new level of activity. Aside from any new health issues you might be managing, as we age our bodies benefit from a slow introduction to activity to help ensure success while decreasing the risk of injury.

For example, our muscular system undergoes changes as we age as reported in my latest book, “Get UP! Defy Aging with Movement.”

Lean body mass decreases. This decrease is partly caused by a loss of muscle tissue (a type of atrophy called sarcopenia). Muscle changes often begin in the 20s in men and in the 40s in women.

Loss of muscle results in loss of mobility, agility, and flexibility.

Muscles may become rigid with age which makes them less responsive when we need them, for example to catch a fall. This change also limits the range of motion of joints which can make movement painful and decrease our ability to move correctly.

But alas, there is hope. Movement can help reverse the effects of aging. So today, let’s focus on what we CAN do. And let’s focus on a very important area of the body. I want to steer your attention to your hips.

Often the hips will be the first joints to tell you, “Hey, what’s going on?” “What are you getting us into here?” “I’m not used to this.” As you walk more and sit less, the hips frequently respond with soreness, stiffness and perhaps even pain. During the winter, you are likely to be more sedentary. Certainly, this may depend on where you live and the weather, but it can still be a factor nonetheless.

When we’re less active, here’s what happens to your hips as a result:

1. When joints like your hips move less, they become stiff.
2. Soft tissue like muscles and tendons are not used to their full length and capacity because of inactivity and thus can get shortened and tight as a result.
3. Muscles that are shortened and tight become weaker. Maximal performance of a muscle requires it to be at its normal length. Plus, the inactivity alone can make you weaker.
4. Weakness at your hips can result in walking abnormalities and decreased balance.

I hear your stories. Some of you have taken winter vacations down south and decide that walking on the beach every day would be a grand idea. It is! But your body and your hips are not used to this level of activity and they start talking to you – almost immediately.

For those of you who are still sitting a lot, I hear it from you, too. “Why am I so stiff when I stand up?” “Why do I have to wait a minute when I stand before I can even take a step to be sure my legs will hold me?”

Luckily, our bodies are miracles. For flexibility, stiffness, strength and balance can all be improved at any age. Yes, at any age. We just need to gradually increase our activity level strategically to avoid stressing our joints and soft tissue. Here’s what you can do about it.

1. Get moving now by taking breaks from sitting. For example, stand and walk around your house for five minutes every 30 minutes.
2. Shorten your stride at first. Walking is one of the best exercises ever.  But if your hips are stiff and tight, start with a small range of motion – meaning a shorter stride length – and then increase it slowly over time as able.
3. When you’re ready to get outside, start with short walks at a slow and comfortable pace in your neighborhood. Work up to a regular consistent schedule for this. Once you’ve achieved this, keep walking and slowly increase your distance. If that goes well, continue walking and gradually increase your pace.
4. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you. Chances are they too are trying to find ways to get moving again and your welcoming gesture might be just what they need to get going. In addition, a schedule with your friends will help keep you accountable.
5. Simple straight leg raises while standing or lying down will help improve your hip strength. Consider raising your legs forward, to the side and to the back to engage the right muscles that will improve your mobility and balance.
6. Learn a few stretches to help improve the flexibility at your hips. Consult my YouTube Channel for free videos such as the hamstring stretch, piriformis stretch, ITB stretch and hip flexor stretch (the latter is our feature video this month).
7. Learn how to improve the flexibility and strength of your hips from a trusted source. They can guide you in creating a systematic and customized way to improve your condition and provide a little accountability, too.
8. Always consult with your physician to discuss the safest way to get moving again and prior to starting any new exercise program.

Very often the front of our hips become tight if we sit frequently. If this rings true for you, please take a look at our feature video this month which is a hip flexor stretch. This will help improve your flexibility and improve your stride length making you more comfortable in your overall mobility. Watch this video HERE.

Yay, it’s Spring! And now you have a strategy with a FOCUS to help get you moving again in a safe and effective manner.

Keep moving friends.