Whether you’ve been trying to increase your step count, or attempting the 6-6-6 walking challenge, you may sit down afterwards and find your legs feeling stiff and sore.
One of the easiest ways to minimize this discomfort is to stretch before you sit down. I spoke to Melissa Kendter, a personal trainer and running coach, to find out what stretches she recommends after you hit your step goal for the day.
“After a long walk, the main goal is to release tension, restore mobility, and encourage better blood flow so your muscles recover well and you feel good,” she says. “I chose a series of dynamic and static stretches that collectively target your hips, spine, chest, calves, back and legs. It’s everything you need after a long walk to reset posture, lengthening the body in various ways, and easing any tension.”
You don’t need to do these stretches for very long, just 30-60 seconds per stretch will aid your recovery. Think of it as a cool-down that you can do while your coffee brews.
1. Downward dog calf pedal
Time: 30-60sec
How to do it:
- Get on your hands and knees, then lift your hips and extend your legs so your body forms an inverted V shape.
- Press your left heel to the floor while you bend your right knee, then repeat on the other side.
- Continue, like you’re pedaling a bike, moving with control and breathing deeply.
Why Kendter recommends it: “This dynamic stretch hits multiple areas at once, including the calves, hamstrings, Achilles tendon, feet and even through your back as you lengthen. Because this exercise is dynamic, not static, it improves circulation too to help recovery.”
2. Figure four
Time: 30-60sec each side
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, and place your left ankle just above your right knee.
- Hold the back of your right thigh and gently pull your right leg toward you. You’ll feel a deep stretch in your glutes, hips, and thighs.
- Hold for time, then repeat on the other side.
Why Kendter recommends it: “This stretch targets areas that may tighten up during long walks because of repetitive forward motion. This is a static stretch to lengthen the muscles and open up the hips.”
3. Child’s pose to cobra flow
Time: 30-60sec
How to do it:
- On your hands and knees, move into child’s pose by sitting your hips back, moving your butt to your heels and lowering your head to the floor.
- Move your torso forward into cobra by lowering your hips to the ground and lifting your chest, straightening your arms while looking up at the ceiling.
- Move smoothly between these two poses.
Why Kendter recommends it: “Alternating between the two poses balances out the rounded posture walking can create and brings mobility back to your spine. This dynamic exercise relaxes your hips and back, while opening up the chest, stretching hip flexors and strengthening with gentle spinal extension.”
