Keeping Your Hips Happy
Are your hips happy? Millions of women each year are diagnosed with hip problems. In fact, hip replacements have risen by 40% in the last 15 years. Many of us don’t think much about our hips when we’re young, but neglecting them can cause major mobility problems later in life. Here’s how you can keep your hips happy long into old age.
Get on your feet
Sitting down all day isn’t good for your body in all kinds of ways. On top of the bad posture being bad for your spine and knees, it can also have an effect on your hips by shortening the hip flexors. If you’re a couch potato, being more active could help to strengthen those hip muscles. Try taking a walk in the evenings or taking up an active hobby to do throughout the week. Meanwhile, if you work sedentary office job behind a desk, try doing some exercise on your lunch break or before and after work. You could even buy a standing desk.
Take a stretch
Stretches can help to stop your hip flexors from wasting away. Sites such as https://defendyourhealthcare.us/fix-tight-hip-flexors offer some of the best stretches to try out to keep these muscles active and supple. The likes of yoga and pilates are full of these stretches and are great hobbies for your hips. Many of these stretches can be done whilst you’re watching TV.
Wear flats more, heels less
High heeled shoes may help to make you look taller and sexier, but regularly wearing them could be doing long-term damage to various joints including your ankles, knees and hips. Heels shorten the hip flexors and cause you walk with your hips pushed out causing strain on the joints. Try wearing flats on a daily basis and keeping heels for special occasions – this could help combat the negative health effects. You may even be able to take off some of the strain simply by lowering the heel a little.
Watch your weight
Being overweight can have many knock on effects. One of these is the damage it does to your hips. Your hips are designed to carry a certain amount of weight proportionate to your height. When you’re overweight, your hips take extra strain and this can lead to osteoarthritis. Many doctors will recommend losing weight to people with hip problems as a way of relieving pain.
Go for a swim
Swimming is an all-round great exercise for your body. It allows you work out all your muscles without putting a huge strain on your joints like many other exercises. Many strokes such as backstroke are great at stretching out the hip flexors whilst also putting minimal pressure on the hip joints. Many people with hip problems find that swimming is a great exercise that allows them to stay fit without aggravating their hip. This guide at www.livestrong.com offers some of the great swimming exercises to help aid your hips.