Leg Exercise

As people age they seem to develop different ailments as well as aches and pains that did not bother them in their younger years. It seems that most people over the age of forty have some type of arthritic ailment in one joint or another. Many of the ailments come from injuries that were obtained during their younger days of playing sports or other higher risk activities. My husband has been dealing with a tight hamstring muscle since he was in his mid thirties.

He did injure his hamstring when he used to be involved in long distance running. He had done different leg exercise through the years to keep the muscle active. As he gets older this seems to be the first muscle to cause him pain whenever he is involved in a new form of activity. He went to physical therapy and was told that he needed to do leg exercise everyday to keep the muscle strong. The leg exercise involves lying on the floor on his back. He then raises one leg at a time and draws it as close to his chest as possible. To complete this leg exercise he needs to use his arms and stomach muscles. The physical therapist told him that this is why this is such a great procedure to do every day. Doing this one leg exercise; this takes about fifteen minutes; strengthens all the major muscle groups of the body. In addition to strengthening the muscles the activity also adds to your flexibility. Rigid muscles cause pain and are also more likely to tear during activities. The therapist stressed how important it is to start all activities by stretching first so that the muscles are warm and flexible.

When my husband first started doing the leg exercise he encouraged me to do them with him. I told him that I did not have an extra fifteen minutes in the morning to do this. One day I had a sore back due to rearranging furniture. I decided to do the exercises with my husband. I could not believe how much relieve I felt in my back after the fifteen minutes. I now do the fifteen minute routine with him most mornings. It is a good way to help your body get moving in the morning. We usually put on a pot of coffee and turn on the news. By the time we have completed the exercises the coffee is done and we are caught up on current events. On mornings that I skip this routine I seem to have less energy throughout the day.