Unless you want to feel like an old action figure.
I think the hips are one of the body parts that we take most for granted. Have you ever thought about how much slight bending, twisting, and flexing you do on a daily basis? Flexible hips are an absolute necessity for physical activities like bike riding and jogging. Even if you sit in a chair all day, you’re probably twisting and shifting your posture all the time. Can you imagine how absolutely miserable your life would be if you couldn’t even sit in a chair without your hips creaking like a rusty swing set? I’d rather not, personally, so let’s try to keep those hips nice and loose.
The best way to keep your hips loose and flexible is with leg and torso-focused stretches. A good starting point is with a resistance band-aided clamshell stretch. Just lay on your side, wrap the band around both legs, bend your knees, and carefully lift your upper leg away. Just don’t force yourself into a full-on sideways split, ’cause that’s pushing it too far. We’re going for flexibility here, not Olympic gymnastics.
After that, try a 90-90 hip switch. Sit up straight and bend your legs in the same direction so they form two 90-degree angles going the same way. Pull yourself onto your toes using your hips until your knees are facing up, then push back down so your legs are bent in the opposite direction from where they started. It seems simple and flowy, but trust me, you’ll really feel it in your hips after just a few.
If you don’t take care of your hips now, then by the time you’re older, it’ll be much harder to move them. Take good care of them now so you have an easier time later.
