Can’t touch your toes? Stiff hamstrings? Try these.

Stiffness is often the body’s way of protecting itself from further injury. If your core muscles are not activating in the proper sequence or with enough tension, for example, limiting your range of motion , I.e. you can’t touch your toes, is a way to protect your low back.

Sometime stiffness is a result of repetitive activity. Hair stylists, for example, get stiff shoulders and upper backs because their arms are constantly elevated and the stiffness is a way for the body to help make that position easier (although it doesn’t feel like that!)

Here are two exercises to try if you can’t touch your toes:

1. NMA Squat – listen to the video for instruction

2..: Core Engaged Leg Raise.

Do it properly:

1. Legs straight, toes up (the whole movement)

2. Pull the band, keeping the arms straight, to engage your abdominals without arching your back

3. “Reach” your legs as if you are trying to make them a little bit longer

4. While you try to keep the back of the right knee almost touching the ground, slowly start to raise the left leg

5. Inhale as you raise the left leg. Do NOT allow the back to arch

6. Keep the back down (or prevent it from arching)

7. Raise high enough that you feel a stretch behind the leg and do not allow the knee to bend (remember you are “reaching” that leg, too)

8. Exhale as you slowly lower your left leg to the floor.

9. Keep shoulders away from ears.

10. Repeat 8 x on each side (the more times per day you do it, the more your body remembers how to do it)

3. Toe Touch Progression (use something sturdy like a board or books if you don’t have a 1/2 foam roller, most people don’t have this at home)

Instructions are in the video description

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!