 Gluteal-Hip Stretch: Begin on hands and knees. Supporting your weight with your hands, slowly bend your right leg, tucking your right knee into your left hip. Simultaneously, extend your left leg straight behind you, toes down. Your weight should be balanced between the outer portion of your bent right leg and the front of your left leg.  Inner Thigh Stretch (Butterfly Stretch): Begin seated with legs extended in front of you. Sit up tall with abs in and shoulders down. Slowly bend knees out to the sides and slide feet in toward your body until the soles of your feet are touching. Maintaining good posture, lower knees down to the floor (without pushing on them) as far as you can comfortably. Also try pulling your heels in closer to your body. For a deeper stretch, try to lean forward with the torso, as if folding over from the hips and bringing your head down toward the floor.  Seated Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor in an inverted hurdler's position (right leg extended, left leg bent with sole of foot touching inner right thigh). Try to keep both legs as flat to the ground as possible. Keep torso upright, abs in, and shoulders down. Place hands on straight leg (or either side of it), and lean forward from the waist. Keep your chin up, as if reaching your chin toward the toes of your straightened leg.  Calf Stretch: Stand about arm's length away from a wall, facing it. Extend arms forward, palms facing out, fingers pointing upward, until your palms are flat on the wall. Feet should be slightly apart, knees soft. Keeping both feet flat on the floor at all times, step back with the right foot, straightening the right leg as you bend the front (left) knee toward the wall. Your weight should be balanced between your feet and hands. Switch sides.  This article has been reviewed by Jen Mueller, a certified prenatal and postpartum finess specialist. |
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