Building strong, healthy hips as you age is essential for leading an active, independent life.
There are various challenges many people experience that are chalked up to “old age.” These complaints stem from difficulty getting up from a chair, sitting back down, climbing up or down a staircase, and even experiencing lower back or knee pain. Do you ever hear clicks or snaps with leg movements, feel body stiffness, or changes in your gait? Rather than blaming these issues on aging, consider working on strengthening your hips.
Your hips are the engine that helps your body move and stay balanced. It’s essential to keep them in top shape to help your body parts function properly and avoid falls. If your hips aren’t strong enough, you’ll start to notice many changes. It’s natural for your body to compensate in subtle ways to keep going.
We spoke with Meltem Sonmez Burr, an Independent New York-based Fitness Professional and the Owner/Founder of Barreitude, NASM CPT & Master Barre instructor, and learned five bed exercises you can add to your routine to restore hip strength faster than floor exercises after 55. Both NASM and ABT-certified, Sonmez Burr has enjoyed movement from an early age and has trained in barre since 2012 and became certified to teach in 2017. She has years of experience in tweaking training techniques to address different needs and goals for individuals of all ages.
After you reach 40 years of age, it’s natural to experience sarcopenia, or muscle loss, which is what makes regular resistance training so essential. Women may also experience gluteal tendinopathy, which refers to the breakdown of the outer hip muscles—glute minimus and medius—and their relative tendons.
“The prime suspect is the drop of estrogen due to menopause, resulting in reduced collagen, reduced bone density, and an increase in inflammation in the joints,” Sonmez Burr explains. “Related factors are lifestyle changes, such as sitting more, moving less, gaining weight, and even the habit of sitting with crossed legs, which can increase compression in the hip joint.”
Why Bed Exercises Are Important
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According to Sonmez Burr, bed exercises can be a productive option, as they decrease common barriers to exercise. You’re able to perform these moves in the comfort of your own home and choose whether to start your day or end it with them.
“[There’s] no need to set aside time, leave the house, pack a gym bag, dress in gym clothes, etc. Bed exercises, by removing all the usual excuses, can improve the propensity for exercise and may result in adherence to exercise. In the case of an individual with mobility problems, bed exercises become undeniably important and beneficial,” she adds.
How to Get Started the Right Way
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“While I do agree with the benefits of bed exercises, I do not recommend doing these exercises on a soft mattress as this would prevent proper alignment of the bones and joints necessary for these exercises,” Sonmez Burr stresses. “And exercises done without correct form and alignment could result in injury or further injury. For exercise novices or individuals with mobility problems, I would highly recommend consulting with a healthcare professional to make sure that they are ready and/or have accurate understanding on how to perform the exercises.”
Supine Version of “Zip-Up-The-Pants”
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- Begin lying flat on your back with bent knees and ankles under your knees.
- Take a deep breath in.
- Exhale and contract the abs as you pull your belly button in and down into the mattress to close the gap between your back and the bed.
- Hold for 3 seconds before releasing.
- Perform 10 reps.
RELATED: 5 Daily Exercises That Restore Hip Mobility Faster Than Floor Stretches After 55
Hip Tilts
- Begin by lying flat on your back with bent knees and ankles under your knees.
- Keep your feet and knees hip-distance apart, feel your soles pressing into the mattress.
- Pull your belly inward.
- Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the mattress without relaxing your belly.
- Lift until you form a straight line from your chest to your knees.
- Hold at the top for 3 seconds before lowering.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 lifts.
- Rest for 5 to 10 seconds between sets.
Hip Tilt Soldier March
- Begin by lying flat on your back with bent knees and ankles under your knees.
- Keep your feet and knees hip-distance apart, feel your soles pressing into the mattress.
- Pull your belly inward.
- Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the mattress without relaxing your belly.
- Lift until you form a straight line from your chest to your knees.
- At the top, lift one foot off the mattress until your knee is almost level to the hip bone.
- Then, lower the foot and lift the other one.
- Alternate in a “marching” fashion, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
- Perform the march for a count of 20, repeating for 2 more sets.
- Rest for 5 to 10 seconds in between sets.
Clamshell
- Lie on your side with your knees stacked and bent.
- Keep your feet together as you lift your top knee, like a clamshell opening.
- Pull your belly button inward as you contract your abs.
- Lower.
- Avoid rotating through your lower back.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 lifts.
- Rest for 5 to 10 seconds between sets.
Lateral Leg Lifts
- Lie on your side.
- Bend your knees where the soles of your feet are level with your seat, keeping your hip bones directly on top of each other.
- Pull your belly button inward.
- Lengthen the top leg along the length of your body, keeping that leg as straight as possible.
- Flex the foot with your toes pointed forward.
- Lift the top leg as high as you’re able to while keeping your belly pulled in.
- Use control to lower that leg.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 lifts on each side.
- Rest for 5 to 10 seconds between sets.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa
