4 Moves Every Body Should Do Every Day
Whether you do weights, cardio, both or neither, you should also be doing these moves to instantly feel better in your body.
By Corrie Pikul
Photo: Courtesy of The Roll Model
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A Move to Help Prevent Leg Pain Before It Hits
What you need: Two tennis balls or
Yoga Tune Up balls
What to do: Sit on the floor leaning to your right side. Swing your left leg behind you so that most of your weight is on your front right hip. Put two balls under your upper thigh between your outer thigh and the floor. Because of the weight of your leg on the balls, this may feel intense enough that you decide to simply stay there for a while taking deep breaths. When you're ready, slide your whole leg forward and backward over the balls. (To increase the intensity, push down on your right thigh with your hand.)
What it does: This targets the iliotibial band, the ligament that runs down the outside of the leg from the hip to the shin, stabilizing the knee. When the IT band gets tight or inflamed, it can result in serious, side-lining pain. Rolling the balls horizontally across these muscles ("cross-fibering") teases apart stuck or dehydrated tissues, and Miller says it's one of the most effective techniques for kneading stiffness out of fascia.
How that feels: After doing this move, the outsides of your thighs should feel looser and more relaxed, and knee pain (if you had any) should feel less intense.
Published 11/06/2014
