Between workouts and travel this week, my body was begging for some help this morning. Self Care is a term floating around that can mean many different things to everyone. For me it means putting the weights down, going for a walk without any distractions, and spending some quality time breathing and stretching. Madison, Wisconsin provided one of the most beautiful views around today for this task.

The hips are always an area of attention for my clients and for me. Whether you are a golfer or not, this really is the epicenter for power and many times pain in the body. You need the hip joints to be mobile while still possessing a ridiculous amount of strength and stability. It’s a tough balance to strike, and in general, tightness seems to win the war most days. The end result, lack of rotation in the hips shifts excessive movement into the lumbar vertebrae asking them to move more than they were built for. My back hurts just thinking about the stress!

Today I’m bringing to a couple variations of my favorite hip stretch that helps on days like this when you want to be kind to your body and recover.

• Sit tall pulling bending one leg and pulling that foot to the opposite side of your body.
• Cross the other leg over the top.
• Lightly push down on the knee until you feel a comfortable stretch in the hip.
• Take deep breaths and hold for at least 30 seconds.

• Set up is the same as above.
• Now you will pull the knee towards your chest putting more of the focus on the Glute max.
• Deep breaths and hold for at least 30 seconds.

These are both great options to do while watching some Sunday football today!

See you tomorrow friends, S