Most of us might not think much about our hips until they start complaining.
What do you think?
It might show up as stiffness getting out of the car, aching after a walk, discomfort when lying on one side in bed, or feeling less stable when balancing on one leg.
The truth is that hip mobility isn’t just about stretching.
Your hips need three things:
• Mobility – the ability to move through a healthy range of motion
• Strength – particularly from the glutes and deep core muscles
• Capacity – the ability of the joint to tolerate everyday life without becoming irritated
Research consistently shows that movement is one of the most effective ways to support joint health. Gentle, regular loading can help maintain cartilage health, improve circulation around the joint and reduce stiffness.
The mistake many might make is trying to force flexibility.
What all our hips actually need is joint capacity:
What Is Hip Capacity?
Hip capacity is your ability to comfortably move through a range of motion and have the strength to control that movement.
Think of it this way:
If you can pull your knee to your chest with your hands, that’s passive flexibility.
If you can lift your knee there by communicating from brain to muscle, and hold it with control, that’s active flexibility.
Active flexibility is where strength and mobility work together.
And that’s often what starts to decline during midlife.
Many men and women can either lose range of movement from years of sitting, or they lose strength around the hips and core that helps support the joint. And Women in particular are affected when oestrogen declines…which is what make movement so important!
The good news is that joints respond remarkably well to regular movement.
By gently exploring your range of motion and gradually strengthening the muscles that support the hip ~ particularly the glutes, deep hip muscles and core ~ you can improve the capacity of the joint over time.
Not by forcing bigger stretches.
But by teaching your body to own the movement.
That’s exactly what we’ll be focusing on this upcoming month in our online series for JULY: building stronger, more capable hips that feel good not just during exercise, but in everyday life too.
We will have the brand new series with 20 min videos to sprinkle into your week at your own time, wherever you are, but I’ll also be discussing “cherry picking” 1 move that feels useful for you, do do each day, just like this below!
Try this out and let me know how you get on
Jana xx
