Aches and pains after long period of sitting? 4 steps to feeling better here.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo KY3's Paul Adler visits with Pamela Hernandez of Thrive Personal Fitness on this Fit Life about ways to stretch and feel better.

Simple Desk Stretches for Tight Hips

Tight hips are a common problem yet some people don’t realize it’s affecting them. Sometimes we can feel the tightness but it’s actually also something you can easily see.

The next time you’re out for a walk look down at your feet. Are you toes pointed straight ahead or are your toes pointed out to the sides? They should be facing forward. If your feet are turned out that means your external hip rotators may be shortened and tight.

There are a few causes for this issue but the main culprit is sitting too much. Therefore, standing up and moving around more should be the first thing you do to address the problem. The second is stretching the hips.

If you must spend a lot of time seated, you can do some basic hip stretches from your desk, your kitchen chair or an airplane seat. Here’s a four point seated stretch plan.

Step 1. Sit tall in your chair. Cross your right leg over you left, with the right ankle resting over the left knee. Place your right hand on your right knee and your left hand on the right ankle. With a straight back, hinge forward from your hips until you feel the stretching sensation (not pain!) in your right hip.

Step 2. Return to your tall sitting posture. Gently press the right knee down with the right hand, again looking for the stretching sensation. It will feel slightly different than step 1 because we are hitting the muscle from a different angle.

Step 3. Keep your right arm straight and gently pressing down your right knee. Keep your left hand on your right ankle and slowly turn to your left. Your left arm will bend at bit but keep the right arm straight. Again look for a slightly different stretching sensation in your right hip.

Step 4. Relax your arms and then grab your right knee with your left arm. Gently pull the knee up and towards the left side of the body while twisting your torso to the right. Once again you’ll feel the stretching sensation in a different way.

This sequence should last anywhere from one to two minutes, repeating steps 1-4 on the left for the same amount of time. Doing this two to three times a day can help combat hip tightness.