One-legged balance

Stand on your right leg and raise the left leg a few
inches off the floor.
With arms at your sides, swing your left leg forward
Start barefoot on a firm surface. and back, then from side to side.
Keep a chair or a wall within reach. Repeat with the other leg.
Lift your knee and lower leg slightly. Try not to allow your swinging foot to touch the
Then slowly lower and extend your thigh behind ground.
you, and extend it at the hip.
Hold this position first with eyes open, then closed. One-legged squat
Change up your position by placing your hands on
your hips, by stretching your arms to the side, and
by swinging them up and down with your thumbs
pointed to the rear.
Switch feet.
Repeat this as often as you can during the day.

Leg swings

Plant your feet hip-width apart.

Lift your right foot and extend it back just a bit.
Now push your hips back and down into a partial,
one-legged squat position.
Your right knee is bent, chest upright, eyes forward,
as your butt aims for an imaginary stool behind you.
Use your glutes (butt muscles) to return to the
starting position.
Repeat with the other foot.
Golfer’s pickup (or single-leg deadlift)
Our feet have two hundred thousand sensory
receptors that are constantly, and unconsciously,
apprising us of our position so that we can make
micro adjustments to our balance. With your shoes
off, in the house or in the office, spend a bit of time
each day walking on your heels, then on the balls
of your feet, then on the outside edges of the feet,
then on the inside edges.
As you hinge forward, maintain a straight line from
your head to your outstretched foot. Single-leg run (for the more advanced)
Keep your hips parallel to the floor, and maintain
the natural lumbar curve of your back.
For repeated lifting from the floor of light objects
(only!), the safest method is not to bend the knees
and to keep the back erect.
The “golfer’s pickup” is easier on the joints.
As one leg rises behind (for counterbalance), the
torso tilts forward over the stance leg, forming a
fulcrum.
No spine or knee bending occurs.
Simply balance on your left foot and hinge forward I do this several times a week at the end of a run,
at the hips, while you reach toward the ground with preferably on a soft (but not unstable) surface such
your right hand as if to pick up a golf ball. as a grassy field.
Your knee and your back are straight but relaxed Balance on one leg, engage the muscles of your
throughout. core, and hop with a running motion on one leg for
Tighten the buttocks as you return to the starting five to ten hops.
position. Switch to the other leg.
Start with 10–20 meters, and work your way up to
Explore your feet 50–100 meters.
This requires active concentration on balance, and
focusing on the foot and lower leg as a spring.

Toe yoga.
Stab your entire big toe down to the ground, while
lifting the other four.
Bend only at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint
(see arrows in the following images), without curling
the toes.
Now lift the big toe while stabbing the other four
down.
Your arch will naturally rise. Repeat. This helps
develop foot control.
 Slow heel raises.
While balancing on your right foot (use a hand to
secure yourself, if needed), slowly lift your heel so
that you are balancing on the ball of your foot.
Go up as high as you can, then rotate your lower
leg slightly counterclockwise, as your weight
naturally transfers to the big toe.
This is the same rotation that occurs in your lower
leg at the end of the running stride, as power shifts
to the big toe for toe-off.
Then slowly lower yourself.
Do the same with your left foot, rotating your lower
leg just slightly clockwise at the top of the lift.
Do this up to fifty times on each foot, once or twice
a day (at your stand-up desk!), and you’ll see
Short foot posture
greatly improved foot control.
Create a “dome” by elevating your arch and
anchoring (not curling) your toes, while driving the
Foam roll the “knots.”
first metatarsal head to the ground.
First thing every morning, take a few minutes to
This effectively shortens your foot, and it involves
fully stretch out, head to toe.
moving your knees just slightly to the outside—from
Then with a foam roller, “tissue floss” by rolling your
a slightly knock-kneed stance to a straight stance.
legs, hips, torso, and back—gently and
(If you move your knees any farther, you would
slowly—while remembering to breathe from the
appear bowlegged. Refer to the images below.)
diaphragm.
Your body will tell you where it needs attention. Roll
from the middle of the muscle group up to its
insertions, while avoiding the joints.
When you find an area of tightness or tension,
slowly roll out the knots by massaging above and
below the area, for at least ten to fifteen seconds.
You are rolling not just fascia but also muscles,
nerves, and other connective tissue.
Picture squeezing a sponge, then allowing it to fill
again with water.
Squeeze out the stiffness and congestion, and
allow relaxation and fluidity to flow into the voids.
The calf region is especially prone to restriction,
and needs regular attention.
Those who sit for hours (locked in that familiar
forward flex) should focus on the hip flexors and
upper back.
An area often neglected is near the ASIS (the
To realign your feet, repeat the foot posture anterior superior iliac spine, a bony projection of the
exercises above whenever you can throughout the iliac bone) and the PSIS (posterior superior iliac
day—at work, in class, while standing in line, even spine).
while brushing your teeth. And foam roll areas adjacent to the IT band and the
Within a few weeks, your base of stability will quads, which often have adhesions.
improve.
While lying on the floor on your side, you can slide
your hips over a foam roller.
Mix up the areas that you foam roll each day. Be
slow and mindful. This is not a rushed activity
performed while answering emails or texts.

The Mountain Climber

Sink the hip by engaging the glute.
Feel the spring from the hip flexors.

The Awesomizer
Stand and face a chair or low wall, about three feet
from it.
A solid table can work.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart, so they point
directly to the wall.
Rolling the ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine)

Rolling the PSIS (posterior superior iliac spine)

The Mountain Climber

Remarkably effective at opening up and releasing
your hips, as well.
It can be done before a run or a walk or after an Place your right forefoot on the wall, directly in front
activity—or anytime, really. of it.
Place your hands and feet on the ground, as in the (Before you do this, rotate your shoulders very
illustration below, with your right foot to the outside slightly to the right and look at the spot where the
of your right hand. right foot will go. This closes the hip and puts it in a
Sink your left hip by squeezing the glute. position of power.)
Shift and move the position of the back leg by Keeping your rear (left) foot straight, rock back on
rotating your foot (lean your heel to the outside and your left foot and release your right hamstring.
then to the inside). Lunge gently into the wall (lead from the hips) and
When you move it to the outside, it helps open the rotate to the right, closing the hips.
IT band, and to the inside it stretches the inner Feel the spring tension in the hip flexors.
thigh. Rock back and rotate to the left, opening the hips.
Switch feet and repeat. You should feel a release on your inner thigh.
Don’t forget to sink the hips. Repeat on the other side.
Once you’ve loosened up, you can go dynamic and
spring from one foot up to the other.
The dynamic burpee
A bit more advanced.
This exercise, created in the 1880s, is a
combination of a squat, push-up, and jump, and is
the ultimate full-body fascia exercise.
It requires significant flexion and extension, and
when it is done well you can feel the body
dynamically spring off the ground.

Ankle mobility assessment

Place your right foot forward with your toes about
four inches from a wall.
With heels on the floor, try to bring your knee to the
wall. Switch and assess the other side.

The dynamic burpee

From a standing position, drop to a squat and place
your hands on the ground (flexion).
Transition into a push-up (with slight extension in Hip extension assessment
the back). Lie flat on a table and hug your knee (as your other
Quickly move back up to a squat (flexion). leg hangs over the end of the table).
Jump up to finish (extension and reach). When you hug your knee, does the other thigh
When this exercise is done well, you should feel elevate off the table?
more spring and less power. Assess both sides.
Start with just a couple of repetitions, then progress
to a few sets of six to eight.
You don’t need to do many—they’re meant to be
done skillfully, not to exhaustion.

The couch stretch

Perfect for stretching the rectus femoris, while
loosening the hip flexors.
Start with your foot against a wall or couch, then
progress to holding your own ankle.
Quad length test (affecting hip mobility) 5. On the balls of your feet, backward.
While lying prone (on your belly), bend the knee of 6. On your heels (you may need shoes, if not
one leg and bring your heel to your butt. barefoot adapted).
Assess both sides.

Prone

The squat
Align your feet comfortably under your hips (or
slightly wider).
Then move directly to a full squat.
As you do so, try to maintain a good, flexible
posture, with your:
Head and thoracic spine upright.
Lumbar spine neutral, not hyperextended.
Arms in front and shoulder blades “tucked.” (Think
of putting your shoulder blades into your back
pockets.)
Hips mobile, sitting back as if tapping a chair
behind you with your glutes (but not sitting).
Knees tracking directly over the toes. Use a
resistance band around the knees, and apply
outward pressure.
Upright Shins close to perpendicular to the ground. (Your
knees shouldn’t extend over your toes.)
Six-position foot walk Weight on your heels, and heels remaining on the
This simple exercise snack works the small ground.
muscles of your feet and ankles, and assists with
balance and foot strength.
Barefoot, preferably, walk in the following manner
whenever you can, initially for short distances.
Walk:
1. On the outsides of your feet (inversion).
2. On the insides of your feet (eversion).
3. Toes pointing outward (Charlie Chaplin
style).
4. Toes pointing inward (pigeon-toed).
Which does your squat look like?
Aim for the picture on the left.
Progress to a deep squat (“ass to grass,” as they
say).
If your heels come off the ground, place a book or
two under the heels and work on gradually
removing them.
This will help the mobility of the ankle.
Vary the foot position.
The goal is to hang out comfortably in a deep squat
for a few minutes.
But if you have any discomfort, restriction, or
tightness in the knees, stop when your thighs are
perpendicular to the ground.
It may take time to work into a full squat. By working on upper body, hip, and ankle mobility,
you’ll be able to do a wall squat.

Side sitting
Place one leg in internal rotation and the other in
external rotation.
Change sides, and assess tightness and symmetry.
This can be challenging.

or load yourself with a kettlebell, in an exercise

called the goblet squat.

The wall squat

To further assess the mobility of the thoracic spine,
stand with your toes close to the wall (or, ideally,
right up to it).
T-spine foam roll
Raise your arms high overhead, and try to drop
Move into these positions slowly, with diaphragm
down into your basic squat.
breathing, to open up your thoracic spine.
Can you get your thighs to a level parallel with the
ground?
Can you drop your bottom all the way down?
Do this routine especially if your upper back is
restricting you.

Move slowly up and down each segment, while

deep breathing.
 Single-leg sit-to-stand
This simple and revealing exercise can be done
while sitting in your office chair:
Sit on the chair with your feet flat on the ground.
Select one leg, and elevate slowly on that leg, with
arms extended overhead.
Pause on the ball of the foot, then lower yourself
Move shoulders and arms as if making a snow slowly, in a controlled manner.
angel Don’t let your knee collapse inward.

The windshield wiper progression Single-leg hop

This exercise generates good internal and external Another simple (but somewhat challenging) stability
rotation of the hips, with glute firing and hip drill is to simply hop on one foot ten times.
extension. If you’re unable to do this without pain, or are
If you don’t have this range, you’ll end up wobbly, return to the single-leg sit drill above, and
compensating elsewhere in the kinetic chain. progress to this.
Lie on the floor, with back flat, arms stretched
straight out, knees bent at 90 degrees, and heels Fire hydrants
on the floor. This move assists hip mobility and strength in both
In a slow, smooth motion, sweep your knees back extension and abduction, which are essential for
and forth, to the right and then to the left, in a running.
windshield wiper motion. On all fours, elevate and extend one leg, and draw
Keep your shoulder blades on the floor, with arms large circles with it, clockwise, then
extended. counterclockwise.
Repeat ten to fifteen times. For an additional challenge, extend the opposite
arm directly forward into the “bird dog” pose.

Heel raises
Foot control is essential to running, and helpful in There are three tests of hip, glute, and core
all activities. stability. Hold each of these positions for one
Simply balance on one foot, raise up on the ball, minute:
and finish by loading weight onto the big toe and
rotating the lower leg slightly toward the big toe (to Bridge single leg
get maximum plantar flexion).
This is the full range of motion employed when
walking and running correctly.
Slowly lower yourself, with control, to the start
position.
If you can, knock off fifty to one hundred of these
on each foot daily.
Progress from the ground to lowering from a step.
 Turkish Getup

Lying on your back, tuck one knee to the chest and

tighten the glutes.
Then “bridge” (elevate) your core upward.

Plank
Lie prone on a mat or the floor.
Place your forearms on the mat, elbows under
shoulders.
Place the legs together.
Elevate your body into a straight line.
Hold for thirty to sixty seconds.
Turkish Getup up move

Side plank
Lie on your side on a mat or the floor.
Place your forearm on the mat, perpendicular to the
body.
Place the upper leg on top of the lower leg and
straighten your knees and hips.
Raise your body up until it is rigid.
Hold for thirty to sixty seconds.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Reverse to slowly go down