8 Best Stretches to Do Before and After Your Walking Routine

8 Best Stretches to Do Before and After Your Walking Routine: A lot of people love to walk because it’s a great way to get exercise and you can do it almost anywhere. But some people might not be ready to just go for a walk or run three miles. Because of this, biomechanist Katy Bowman and fascia expert Jill Miller made Walking Well, a whole body routine that can help anyone get in great shape for walking.

“We made a set of exercises to get your body ready to walk more easily, to help you walk farther or longer, and to make it easier for you to walk on different types of ground,” says Bowman.

8 Best Stretches to Do Before and After Your Walking Routine

Each move focuses on a different part of the body to stretch, strengthen, and make it easier to move around. When you first start moving around or haven’t been moving around much, these things are very important.

“When you don’t move around much, your joints can stiffen and don’t contract and lengthen as well,” says Miller. “This makes your range of motion shorter. You want to get your tissues ready for walking so you can use your body more efficiently.”

Also see: Here’s Why Stretching Each Day Is the Healthiest Habit You Can Commit to

Big toe on the go

A big toe that can bend is important for good walking form. Miller says, “When you step forward, the big toe is the last thing that touches the ground. There’s a reflex that runs from the toe to the glute that helps you move forward.”

“If the toe doesn’t bend well, your leg will turn out to the side, and your glute won’t be able to put out full force.” That makes them walk in an odd, duck-like way.

• Place the big toe on a tennis or yoga ball that is soft. You can also use a folded yoga mat, a towel that has been rolled up, or a blanket. Make sure your foot’s ball is on the ground.
• Now try to press your toe into the ball ten times. Stay there for thirty seconds.
• Ten to fifteen times, press down and up on your heel as if you were going to take a step.
• Change your feet and do it again.

Calf stretch

Bowman says, “The flexibility and strength of your calf muscles determine how your knees and hips can move.” Strong ankles, longer steps, and strong calves can all come from having strong calves.

• Put a chair or a wall nearby to help you stay balanced. Then, roll out a yoga mat or towel and place it on the floor in front of you. Put your bare foot on the towel and place the ball of your foot on top of it. Keep your heel on the floor. This is the leg you’ll stretch.
• Straighten your leg slowly as you stretch. Step forward with the other foot while keeping your body straight. It’s harder to take that step when your leg is stretched out.
• Hold that small step for up to a minute, and then do it again on the other side.

Quad quench

“To get a full range of motion, make sure your quads are flexible. They help bend your hips and straighten your knees.”

• Lay on the floor with your face down. Put a tennis or yoga ball or another soft ball under your quad. If you have two, you can do this with both quads at the same time. Relax and breathe deeply.
• You can let your quadriceps sink into the ball by slowly tightening them and then letting them loose. 15 to 20 times, tighten and loosen up.
• Now, move your body like a snake to move the ball up and down your thigh. If you feel a tight spot, take a break and do the move again. For two to five minutes, roll this way.

Step up and over

It might hurt a little when you walk on mostly flat areas and then go up stairs or hills. Bowman says, “Doing this move will help your knees and the muscles that support them get stronger so you can hit the hills with more stamina.”

• Get something that is about the height of a standard step or stair. A yoga block, a thick book, or a small box will work. Put your right foot on this “step.”
• A slow step up will get you to a full stand on your right leg, with your left foot in the air. Then take a slow step forward. Try to land your foot on the ground in front of the block without moving the heel off of it. After that, lift that leg up and step down on the front of the block. When you
• step up and down, make sure your knee is straight with your foot.
• Do this move ten to twenty times, and then do it again on the other side.

Booty reboot

Your hips help you walk by giving you the force you need to move forward. Since your glutes are linked to your hip joint, working on them can help your hips turn and make you more mobile in general.

• On the ground, lie on your back. Lean into a pair of therapy, yoga, or tennis balls that are under the outside of your hip.
• Roll the balls from the outside of your hips to your tailbone.
• For two to three minutes, switch sides and do it again.

Pelvic list

Each side of your pelvis is attached to a spine by a hip joint. This move works on both of these joints to make walking easier.

• Stand up straight with your right foot on a yoga block, thick book, or small box. Use a chair or the wall to help you stay balanced.
  Lower the floating foot toward the floor while keeping both legs straight (don’t bend your knees!). This will stretch the muscles on the outside of
• the right hip. To pull the floating foot off the floor, push the right foot down into the block. This helps tighten the outside of the right hip.
• Do this lift and lower move a few times, and then do it again on the other side.

Lumbar lengthener

Miller says that keeping your lower back loose will help you move around better.

• Lay down on your side. Under your waist, put a small exercise ball, a thick pillow, or a towel that has been rolled up.
• Take 10 deep breaths and slowly breathe into the ball. Then, move the ball slowly forward a few inches toward your belly and backward a few inches toward your spine.

Crescent stretch

This move gives your whole back a nice big stretch.

• Lay down on your back. Put your hands on the floor above your head and reach your arms over your head.
• Move your arms and feet in the same way so that your body forms a crescent shape. Do not twist until your waist starts to stretch. Keep your hips and ribs flat on the ground.
• Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, and then do the other side.