YOGA STRETCHES FOR Tired Legs And Feet

Do your legs and feet feel stiff and tired after a long day? Try these yoga stretches for instant relief!

- 

It's normal for your legs and feet to feel tired and stiff after a long day, even if you didn't workout, or put obvious strain on them. Most of us feel tight and stiff due to our lifestyle, and simple daily habits that we repeat. Sitting for long periods throughout the day and wearing restrictive shoes can both play a part in how our lower body feels by the end of the day.

Let's imagine what happens with our legs when we sit for long periods. When seated, your legs are flexed at the hip; the main muscle that does that is your hip flexors. These muscles, your back which go from your starting at T12 across the hip to the front of the upper thigh, shorten or contract in the seated position. Because you're not moving or bearing weight your muscles don't have to do much work, yet they are in contraction. These shortened muscles become tense or high tone, known as hypertonic and it can make your muscles tired and over time become weak and tight. During the day, it's a good idea to set a reminder to stand up for 5 minutes every hour, and when you're sitting down for prolonged periods move positions to avoid hypertonic muscles.

Let's talk about our feet. Do you ever take off your shoes at the end of the day and it's like your feet are screaming at you THANK YOU! Did you know the soles of your feet are a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia? Your fascia can be reshaped, so when we wear shoes all day we constrict the movement of our plantar fascia, thereby making them feel tight, the tighter the shoe, the more stiff your feet will feel. The good news is fascia is malleable, so giving yourself a foot massage, taking your fingers between your toes to stretch the tissue, or rolling your foot on a tennis ball is a great way to massage your plantar fascia.