Battling Body Burnout: Hips & Lower Back

Staying active, whatever that looks like for you (hitting your mat, training for a marathon, taking a hike, etc.), is great for your body and mind. When you’re exercising regularly, it’s important to listen to your body and take care of it.

In the final post in our Battling Body Burnout series (check out the first and second posts), we look at how to protect your hips and lower back.

Try Not to Slouch 

Many of us spend a lot of our time hunched over electronic devices. If this becomes a habit, it can lead to lower back pain, so it’s important to practice sitting up tall. 

How to work on this:

• Consciously lift your pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles in and up. 

• Tuck your chin slightly and lengthen through your neck and out the top of you head. This will help to maintain the natural curve in your lower back.

Work to Balance Your Hips 

When you’re in a yoga class or even just standing around throughout your day, it’s natural to lean all your weight into one hip or the other. Over time, a lack of balance in your hips can lead to issues. In yoga classes, avoid the tendency to lift one hip higher than the other. Try engaging your side glute to level your hips. When you’re standing anywhere for long periods of time, try to keep your hips even by dispersing your weight evenly across both of your feet. 

Move Between Classes

On days that you won’t be making it to your mat, even just 5 minutes of stretching once or twice can be super beneficial. We like this stretching sequence to keep your hips and lower back healthy.

• Leg Swings: Stand with your feet hip distance apart, hands on your hips and a soft bend in your knees. Hover one foot off the ground and swing your leg forward and back. Hold for 15-30 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. This will support mobility and strength in your front hip.

• Cat Cow: From a tabletop position, stack your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Inhale, arch your back, lift your chest and gaze up. Exhale, dome your upper back toward  the ceiling, tuck your chin toward your chest and pull your belly button to your spine. Cycle through 3-5 times. These movements provide a gentle massage for your spine to increase circulation.

• Supine Hamstring Stretch: Lie on your back and stack your heels under your knees. Loop a yoga strap, belt or towel around the bottom of your right foot, hold the ends of the strap and extend your right leg toward the ceiling. Stack your hip, knee and ankle in one line and flex your toes toward your shin. Hold for 5 breaths and switch legs. Opening your hamstrings will help to maintain balance between your hips and spine.

• Fallen Bridge: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Move your feet wider than hip distance and knock your knees in to touch. This pose acts as a constructive rest and helps to release tension in your lower back.