Strengthen your Hips with Collagen and Exercise

Hip pain and weakness affects many adults and the effects on your life can be drastic. When your hip joints weaken, it can be difficult or painful to do just about anything from sitting for long periods of time to standing and walking. Once your hip joints are weakened and damaged, it can require extensive medical repairs to get back to a normal life. So how can you protect and strengthen your hips now to avoid pain and suffering later on?

After the production of collagen in your body wanes around your mid-twenties, the important connective tissues in your joints, including your hips, begin to wear down. One great way to protect your hips is with Traditional Tonic Nourishing Collagen, a collagen supplement that can help your body support your joints even after your body begins slowing its production of collagen. With Tonic, your body can better protect your hips and other joints. Starting a Traditional Tonic regimen is easy; simply mix the highly-soluble, flavorless powder into hot or cold liquids.

On top of protecting your hips with collagen, you can try a few targeted exercises to strengthen those joints and keep them limber. Just remember not to push yourself harder than you need to. If you over-exert your hip, you could do unintended damage rather than good. Just listen to what your body tells you it can handle.  Start by trying these exercises for strengthening your hips:

1. Abductor stretch: this is the one many of us remember as the “butterfly” stretch from grade school. Sit on the ground and bend your knees as if you are going to sit cross-legged but, instead, touch the soles of your feet together and bring them in toward your body as far as is comfortable. Gently move your knees toward the ground to feel the stretch in your hips. Hold the position for thirty-second intervals.
2. Split squats: stand straight with feet together. Take a step back with one foot but keep most of your weight on your front foot (don’t fully plant the foot you step back with, just touch your toes to the ground). From this position, sink into a squat and hold for a second before returning to rest.
3. Hip lifts: lay on the floor on your back and plant your feet on the ground, bending your knees. Tighten your glute muscles and lift your hips off of the floor as high as you can manage. Hold for several seconds before returning to rest.
4. Lateral lunges: stand with your feet together and back straight. Step with your left leg out to the left side and bend the left knee, dropping your weight onto that leg in a lunge. Lift back up and repeat with your right leg.