STRETCHES FOR WALKING
It’s important to stretch out your muscles after walking, to reduce stiffness, maintain flexibility and aid recovery. Here are some of the key stretches you may find helpful.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stand with good posture. Extend one leg out in front of you with the heel on the floor. Bend the back knee and flex forward from the hips. Make sure you contract your abdominals as you extend forward. Lift up out of the hips and check they are level. Imagine you need to balance two glasses of water on each side of your lower back to help you.
Joanna’s top tip: To progress the stretch, lift your leg and rest it on a bench or low step or chair. Lift your tailbone up behind you to feel a greater stretch.
Standing Quad Stretch
Stand with good posture. Lift one leg, bending at the knee, and hold the laces of your shoe in your hand. Keep the knees together. Gently press your hips forward as you extend up through your spine.
Joanna’s top tip: If you are less flexible or feel pain in your knee, rest your foot on a chair instead and press your hips forward.
Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
Start in a lunge position. Make sure your front knee is over your ankle and your kneecap is in line with your second toe. Extend the back leg, and push the pelvis forward, using a chair for support or placing both hands on your front leg.
Joanna’s top tip: Keep the body upright rather than leaning forward. Drawing up through your pelvic floor muscle will help with your balance.
Seated Buttock Stretch
Sit on the edge of a chair with good posture. Place your arms on the back of the chair, fingers pointing back. Cross one ankle and rest the leg on the other knee. To progress this stretch, place your hands on the side of the chair. Support your body weight and lift yourself off the chair, slowly lowering yourself toward the floor. You should feel a deep stretch on the buttock of the crossed leg.
Joanna’s top tip: Make sure you extend through your spine as you sit. If you suffer from knee pain, try the lying buttock stretch instead.
Lying Buttock and Hip Stretch
Lie on your back with neutral posture, abdominals contracted and knees bent. Cross one ankle over and rest it on your knee. You may feel a stretch in this position. To increase the stretch, draw one knee into the chest, holding behind the thigh. If you are very flexible you may need to take the supporting leg slightly closer to the chest to feel the stretch.
Standing Calf Stretch
Stand with good posture. Take a large step backwards, keeping both feet facing forwards and the front knee over the ankle. If you draw an imaginary line down through the middle of the kneecap it would be in line with the second toe. Press the back heel down to the floor. Make sure the body is in line from the top of your head to your back foot. Use a wall for support if you need to.
Joanna’s top tip: To stretch more into the lower calf, bring the back leg in a little and bend the back leg at the knee.
Achilles Stretch
Crouch down to place one foot on the ground and rest the other knee on the floor beside the flat foot. Keep the foot flat on the floor and lean forward over your knee until you feel a stretch on the Achilles of that foot.
Joanna’s top tip: Press the front knee forward and diagonally toward the floor to feel a more effective Achilles stretch. This is a good stretch to do if you are a lover of high heels!
DAY 6
Today’s mantra: I can do this!
Today’s step target: 10,000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: My mood was excellent while I was following the plan, which surprised me because I’ve always felt irritable when I‘ve tried to lose weight before. I felt good because I was actually doing something about my weight and my health. Joan, 63
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) plus abdominal and core stability exercises |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water baked beans on toast: warm a small can (⅔ cup) of baked beans and serve on 2 small slices of rye bread |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 20-minute walk (step target 2400) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested |
| Mid-afternoon | 2 glasses of water |
| snack | a snack from the options listed |
| Suggested activity zone |
30-minute walk (step
|