Two post-walk stretches I use to ease tight hips and heavy legs

Just a couple of minutes of daily stretching has helped improve my lower-body mobility

Walking is the easiest way I look after my physical and mental health, and it’s the only exercise I do every day.

I usually walk for no more than an hour, and because it’s low-impact and I don’t work up a sweat, I assumed I didn’t need any recovery afterward the way I do after other workouts.

But after moving to a hilly area, I began to notice stiffness in my legs, hips, and back after walks. Even though it’s a low-intensity activity, regular walking can still leave you feeling tight.

That’s why I started doing two stretches after each walk: child’s pose and a forward fold. They only take a few minutes, but they help me feel less stiff for the rest of the day.

Linking these two habits together, a technique known as habit stacking, has also made it easier for me to stretch every day.

The two stretches I do after every walk

I added these movements to my routine because they focus on the hips and legs. They also help mobilize my back, which is usually the tightest area of my body. I hold each pose for about a minute.

Here’s how to do them.

1. Child’s pose

• Kneel with your knees wider than hip-width apart.
• Reach your arms as far forward as you can and sit your hips back toward your heels.
• Hold the position.

2. Standing forward fold

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Slowly lower your arms toward your feet, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
• Stop when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and hold the position.

Why stretching after a walk can help

“It is quite common to feel a bit stiff or achy after walking, particularly following a long walk, and certain stretches can alleviate that discomfort,” explains physiotherapist Helen O’Leary of Complete Pilates. “Child's pose and forward fold can be particularly beneficial since they put your spine in flexion, which opens out the space between the tiny joints in the spine, and stretches the soft tissues of the lower back.”

When you’re standing, your lower back is in a neutral or slightly extended position, which places load on the small joints. That is why you may feel stiffness in this part of the body after walking.

“You can add a bit more of a targeted stretch into either of these two positions by adding a side bend,” O’Leary says.

“In child's pose, if you place your arms on the mat overhead, you can walk your hands to one side, so that your body starts to curve. Now really sit back into the hip on the opposite side of where your hands are—this will stretch a little more into one side of your lower back,” she suggests.

Be sure to repeat the movement on the other side as well.