Piriformis and External Hip Rotators

Strengthening the left piriformis (external rotators): Piriformis and External Hip Rotators Start by lying on your side; your left leg should be almost straight, bent about 10-20 degrees. Next bend your left knee to 90 degrees. Support your bent right knee with pillows. Then push your left knee into the table or floor, and then lift the left foot toward the ceiling, against gravity. Lift your foot as far as you can comfortably, without twisting your pelvis or hips. You should feel your lower buttock muscles activate/contract. Then lower the leg slowly. Repeat for 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets. If needed, brace with your abdomen and/or activate the pelvic floor muscles to enhance the exercise.

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Hamstring Tendinosis

By Dr. Jon Sebby, DC, ART Provider

The hamstring muscle runs down the back of the upper thigh and is connected to the knee joint by a large tendon. Overuse, injury and stress can causes this tendon to become inflamed. Tendinitis is the inflammation or irritation of a tendon; tendons are made up of thick, fibrous connective tissues that connect muscles to bones. Hamstring tendinitis can be caused my overuse from activities such as running, biking or yoga. Tendons have only a limited capacity to become inflamed. Over time the swelling goes away but you are still likely to have pain from the repeated scarring of the tendon. In these chronic cases, we begin to refer to it as a tendonosis instead of the tendonitis that is associated with the initial inflammation. The tendon losses some of its blood supply and becomes weakened, leaving it more susceptible to injury. A.R.T. can help treat the scar tissue and improve the blood flow to the area.

People suffering from hamstring tendinitis/tendinosis will likely have pain where the hamstrings attach to the ischial tuberosity (the bones that you sit on). It is important to get evaluated by a certified Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) provider. The A.R.T. practitioner can check for adhesions within the surrounding hip musculature to ensure that the hamstring is not being forced to handle excessive loads. In order for the hamstring to be allowed to heal it is also important to decrease the load/strain that the hamstring is placed under. If you are a runner or cyclist, you most likely need to temporarily trade running/biking for walking, swimming, or upper body and core strengthening to give the hamstring a chance to heal. In any case, it can take up to 12 weeks off from the offending activity to allow your hamstring to heal.

Once properly diagnosed, A.R.T. and massage therapy can help cut down on the recovery time by improving tissue quality and blood flow to the injured area. For healing the tendinosis, eccentric strengthening (negatives) of the hamstring is key.

Exercises to Strengthen Hamstring

These exercises can be performed for both rehab and prevention. A decrease in pain is a great indicator for healing. Once pain has resided, it is important to return to normal activity slowly. If you are a runner, for example, start by doing long walks. Then after a week or two, start doing some short run-walk-run-walk training. It is important to increase distance or time slowly. Only add between 10-20% to your total distance each week to decrease the risk of reoccurrence.

Brady Eccentric Hamstring Exercise

Start by standing and directly facing a stable chair. Place the heel of the affected leg on the chair. Make sure to maintain a neutral lumbar spine while keeping the pelvis facing forward. Allow the knee to “unlock” by letting it bend about 10 degrees. You should feel about 75% of a stretch to the hamstring. Adjust by flexing your hip and not the heel height or lumbar spine. Press the heel into the table by attempting to bend the knee with near maximum force and then lean forward into hip flexion. You should take 3 full seconds to complete the forward lean. Relax and return to starting position for your next rep. Repeat for 2 sets of 15 twice per day.

Static Hip Flexor Stretch

Oftentimes when the hip flexors are tight, the hamstring has to work harder to create extension from the hip. By stretching the hip flexors, it allows the glutes to work easier, which will take load off the hamstrings. Perform the static hip flexor stretch for 3 sets of 10 second hold on each leg. Make sure you maintain a neutral spine.

Isometric Supine Bridge (Glute Bridge)

The gluteus maximus muscle is designed to be the primary hip extensor, while the hamstrings are meant to work as synergists. Oftentimes, due to excessive sitting and repeated movements, the glutes weaken and the hamstrings take over as prime movers (synergistic dominance). The end result of this is an overworked hamstring. This next exercise is designed to help strengthen the gluteus maximus.

Lay on your back in hook-lying position. Then raise hips to create a straight line from the shoulder, hip and knee. Try to use only your glutes to hold the bridge. Do not extend your lumbar spine. Draw in abdominals at the top and maintain position. Start with three 15-sec holds and progress to three 30-sec holds.

For more of a challenge – in the bridge position raise one leg straight so the ankle, knee, hip and shoulders are all in a straight line. Do three 10-second holds on each side.

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Understanding Achilles Tendonitis vs Achilles Tendinosis

By Dr. Jon Sebby, DC, ART Provider

There are many predisposing factors of Achilles tendinitis that includes: ankle flexibility, hip and leg strength, overuse, aging, flat feet, and poor training techniques. Achilles tendinitis has a classic presentation of pain and tenderness in the Achilles tendon following jumping or running activities. If we translated the name “tendinitis” from its Latin form we would get “inflammation of the tendon.” However, new research is showing that this common injury to the Achilles tendon has little inflammation present. More recently, this painful condition has been renamed as a “tendinosis” to more accurately describe the chronic degeneration of the tendon. The condition is often evident by the knotty swelling of the tendon that is tender to the touch. Active Release Techniques (ART) can provide much of the initial relief of this condition. It helps to break up the scarring of the tendon and promotes better alignment of the collagen fibers within the tendon. ART can also help clear adhesions in the hip and thigh to promote better biomechanics during running, jumping and walking. For rehabilitation, the focus is on performing eccentric calf raises, as shown below. While standing on a stair with the heels hanging over the edge, raise up with both feet onto the toes. Then transfer all the weight to the affected side and lower slowly. Lower as far as possible, taking 5 seconds to reach the bottom. Then repeat by rising back up using both feet. Perform two sets of 10-15 repetitions twice a day (morning and evening). To improve strength and biomechanics of your hips and hamstrings, refer to the Glute Training and Reaching Single-Leg Straight-Leg Deadlift pages in the exercise section of the Chicago Chiropractic & Sports Medicine website, www.chicagochirosports.com/exercises.html

Recovering from Achilles tendinosis requires a lot of patience and persistence. It is important to perform the eccentric calf raises daily. In cases of flat feet (overpronation), a custom orthotic may be needed. A diet rich in vegetables (especially of the green leafy variety) and omega-3’s (fish) can help with tissue healing. In addition, a magnesium supplement, garlic and ginger could provide further benefit to the healing tendon.

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Download and Print full ArticleUnderstanding Achilles Tendonitis vs Achilles Tendinosis Vitamin D – Good for Your Health

Vitamin D plays a larger role in regulating our health than simply improving our bone density. Researchers have discovered that getting the recommended daily vitamin D intake could help reduce plaguing health risks such as MS and diabetes. Ordinarily, a vitamin is an essential element that the body cannot create on its own; however, it is possible for people to create all the vitamin D they need from a cholesterol-like precursor. During the summer months that goal can easily be reached, as the human body can generate up to 12,000 IU of vitamin D from only 30 minutes of sun exposure. However, during the winter months, the daily intake people derive from food and sun exposure falls significantly below the recommended amount. Living relatively far from the equator makes it extremely difficult to get enough sun during the winter to maintain sufficient blood concentrations of vitamin D.

Summary of Vitamin D Research

• Prolongs life • Prevention of diabetes • Protection against multiple sclerosis (MS) • Regulates inflammation, helps autoimmune diseases • Signals colon, breast, and prostate cancers to stop growing (cancer prevention) which helps to reduce cancer rates by 30-50%. • Reduces breast cancer by 83% • Prevention of osteoporosis • Has a minor effect in weight loss • Improves mental and nerve function, fights anxiety and depression • Lowers blood pressure • Deficiency can cause muscle cramps, spasms and parasthesias • Improves mood in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) • Improves skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema • Works like a flu shot, lowering flu infection rates • Strengthens blood brain barrier for brain protection • Increased immune function For adults, the minimum amount of international units (IU) of vitamin D per day should be between 200 to 1,000 IU, though most people don’t even come close to that. For health purposes up to 2,000-5,000 IU is considered safe, but some experts allow up to 10,000 IU. Women concerned with bone health should take 2,000 IU per day or more. 5,000 IU is needed in many people to get the full benefits against cancer. Blood tests are the best way to find out your blood levels, which can vary quite a bit.

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Staying Healthy On and Off the Bike

By Dr. Jon Sebby and Dr. Josh Akin

It takes more than just spending time on your bike to reach your cycling goals. It requires listening to your body and implementing successful strategies to keep your body injury free.

In you are feeling out of sorts or you are having a hard time coming back from a ride, you may have developed restrictions that are preventing you from efficiently riding. Many times, athletes equate poor performances with poor conditioning or training. To overcome the poor performances, athletes tend to increase their mileage and intensity. However, your performances and training volume are not always directly related. Often time athletes with good training habits develop overuse injuries because their imbalances and dysfunctions were not addressed.

Adhesions in the soft-tissues and restrictions within joints can predispose athletes to muscular imbalances that can lead to injury. When athletes are training at a high level, these imbalances become magnified. Over time the body reaches a point where it is no longer able to adapt to the stress.

A normal muscle and its fibers should be able to move independently of the other soft tissue structures surrounding it. For instance, when paint is left on a brush overnight all of the fibers tend to stick together. Soft tissue adhesions or fibrosis are essentially this, when muscle fibers stick to each other and other structures around it (other muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves etc.). Muscles cannot and will not function properly in this state and pain is one of the symptoms people may experience when enough build-up has accumulated. Fact is stretching will never release the scar tissue, which is several times stronger than normal tissue. Stretching and other types of non-operative treatment become successful only after the scar tissue is released with soft tissue treatments.

By using chiropractic manipulation, soft tissue treatments (Active Release Technique and Massage Therapy) and functional rehabilitation, chiropractors and practitioners are able to reduce the dysfunctions that diminish an athlete’s efficiency and performance.

Utilizing chiropractic adjustments we are able to help remove joint restrictions in the spine and extremities. Soft tissue treatments, such as Active Release Techniques and Massage Therapy, are effective at reducing adhesions with the muscles, ligaments and tendons, which improves the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. After joint restrictions and adhesions are reduced, we use specific rehabilitative exercises to strengthen weaknesses and to help balance asymmetries.

Functional strength exercises are utilized to focus on weak areas and to ensure that the work done with manipulation and soft-tissue treatment is as effective as possible and is maintained. The exercises outlined below are aimed to help stretch and strengthen some commonly tight and weak areas in cyclists.

By utilizing an effective training plan coupled with chiropractic manipulation, soft tissue treatment and a personalized functional exercise program, the end result is an optimization of overall functions.

With this integrated strategy, cyclists will see immediateimprovements in their performance, from their speed, efficiency, range and ease of motion, and even accuracy of movement.

Here are some exercises that help address some of the common trouble areas with cyclists:

Cobra Pose Being hunched over in the saddle for hours on end can leave on sore and stiff. To help reverse the effects of a sustained riding posture, add the Cobra Pose to your routine. Lie face down and place your hands underneath your shoulders. Gently press up, keeping a slight bend in the elbows.

Foam Roller to the Adductors

The adductor group (groin muscles) function in cycling during the down stroke of the leg. These muscles can be overworked and develop adhesions, especially if you are a sprinter or do a lot of time trials. Lay face down and position the foam roller parallel to your body. Then bring your leg out to the side with the knee bent and roll your inner thigh muscles (adductors).

Hip Flexor Stretch

The hip flexors are another group of muscles that work hard in cycling. The forward flexed posture and overuse can lead to tight hip flexors, which can cause problems off the bike. To stretch them, start by kneeling on one knee. Place the front foot about 12” in front of the back knee. Keeping your stomach and glutes tight, extend the hip of the down knee. Hold for 30 seconds and perform two sets on each side.

Glute Bridge

The glutes are underworked in cycling and with tight hip flexors this combination can lead to low back pain. Lie on the floor, arms at your sides, knees bent, and heels on the floor (1). Lift your hips with knees, hips, and shoulders forming a straight line (2). Hold for 2 seconds, then return to start. Perform 3 sets of 12 reps.

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A Scientific Approach to Improving Body Composition

By Bobby DeThomasis, BS, ATC, CSCS, A.R.T., PICP Level 5 Master Strength Coach, Biosignature

Modulation Level 1 Despite the popularization of the “low calorie” approach to weight loss which has been at the fore front of nutrition mass media over the past several decades, scientific research has proven that approaching weight loss and body composition improvement is much more in depth than the calorie in-calorie out theory. What first must be realized is that not all calories are created equal. To get more in depth we will have to dive into the world of macronutrients.

The three categories of macronutrients are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Each of these categories has its own caloric value in that every gram of protein and carbohydrate contains four calories each and every gram of fat contains nine calories. It would stand to reason that if you were following a low calorie diet you should limit the amount of fat that you consume and since fat grams contain nine calories each your overall caloric load would decrease. Although this may be true, what you need to realize is that every single cell in your body (whether it is a muscle cell, vascular cell, neurological cell etc.) has a membrane that is made up of certain essential fatty acids and if you begin to decrease the amount of fat that you are taking in, your body will have a very difficult time maintaining cell membrane integrity. In turn this could have a negative effect on losing body fat because you will decrease your ability to get essential nutrients into cells where they can be used as energy. This may cause your body to respond by storing more of that energy (usually in the form of blood glucose) in adipose tissue or body fat.

What many people fail to realize is that there is an entirely other system in the body that plays a major role in the way you either use stored body fat for energy or store the foods that you are eating into more body fat. This system that I speak of is your endocrine or hormonal system. Every time you eat something your digestive systems will break it down into its most simplistic form then transfer many of the nutrients into the blood steam. Depending on the macronutrient profile of the foods that you consume the digestion process can either be very fast or much slower. The faster you digest a food, the faster its nutrients can get into the blood stream which in turn will raise your blood sugar levels. Once sugar gets into the blood in the form of glucose (the simplest form of sugar) your pancreas will release insulin, also known as the “storage hormone”, to take that glucose and put it into storage somewhere. Your body would like to put most of that glucose into its muscle cells (where it will be stored as glycogen) but after muscle cells become completely saturated, which can happen very easily, your body must find somewhere else to store that sugar. It will then put a small amount in your liver to be stored as glycogen and then finally start storing a large majority of the glucose in your fat cells increasing body fat storage. Your best bet to stay out of a state of elevated blood sugar and subsequently constant high insulin production is to eat foods that have a slow digestive rate or low glycemic index (minimally impacts blood sugar). Carbohydrates have the fastest digestive rates and therefore produce the largest increase in blood sugar levels. If your goal is to decrease overall body fat and improve body composition then you would be very wise to try and limit your intake of carbohydrates. Instead get the majority of your calories from good protein sources (organic meats and wild caught fish) and healthy dietary fat (omega 3 fatty acids) in order to maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day and keep your body from producing excess amounts of insulin. Now I know what you are thinking, “don’t I need those carbohydrates for energy?” Actually the answer is NO! If your body does need to synthesize carbohydrates for glycogen storage you actually have the ability to take a molecule of protein or fat and put it through a process called gluconeogenesis in the liver that basically converts it into a carbohydrate. It typically takes about two weeks for your body to realize the decrease in carbohydrate consumption and then it will start utilizing stored body fat for energy.

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For more information on how improving the function of your endocrine system can aid in a much more effective and long lasting improvement in body composition, contact Performance Training Systems (PTS). To learn about our nutrition consultation packages, visit Performance Training Systems.

About the Author

Bobby DeThomasis has been a Strength and Conditioning Coach/Personal Trainer since 2004. Bobby has worked with numerous elite athletes including NFL and collegiate football players, minor league and collegiate baseball players, NHL /AHL and collegiate hockey players and collegiate lacrosse players. Bobby also works with several Olympic athletes, who compete in wrestling and long track speed skating, including a silver medalist in the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. Bobby has a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training and a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is certified in CSCS, Active Release Techniques (ART), Biosignature Modulation Level 1 and is a PICP Level 5 Master Strength Coach.

About Performance Training Systems

Performance Training Systems (PTS) is a full service performance enhancement and athletic development center. Through the use of the most scientifically proven training methods, nutrition and supplementation guidance and soft tissue management treatments, PTS provides the absolute best environment for athletes and general population clients to reach their goals in peak performance and body composition. PTS will be opening an 11,000 square foot training center in the fall of 2012.

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How Work Life Can Affect Your Health and Daily Activities

By Dr. Jon Sebby, DC, ART Provider

Everyday, whether it is at work, at home, or during activities, we put hours of repetitive stresses on our body. Our work life is one of the biggest contributors to repetitive stresses. Regardless of your profession – an office person, a doctor, a mom, a dad, a musician, a construction worker or a professional athlete – when we do the same motion day in and day, we place too much strain on one portion of our bodies. As like anything else, too much of one thing is not necessarily good. Repetitive motion can lead to inflammation, muscle tightness, and weakness, with the end results being muscle strains and pain. These restrictions then impact our other activities, such as golf, tennis, running, yoga, or simply walking.

Stretches and exercises can relieve some of the built up tension in our bodies. However, constant repetitive motion, such as hunching over a computer, standing with poor posture, sitting in a marathon meeting, or for that matter training for a marathon, can cause joint restrictions and adhesion in and around muscles, tendons, and nerves. Stretching alone cannot relieve these restrictions. Once the restrictions exist, your muscles and joints will not function properly and the area of your body where you may be experiencing pain or tightness, mostly likely is not the area that is causing the pain. When left untreated, these restrictions become adhesions and prevent full and efficient movement of your muscles, resulting in decreases in strength.

Treating Repetitive Stresses Chiropractic treatments can help to remove joint restrictions in the spine and extremities and to restore movement in the joint. Soft tissue treatments, such asActive Release Techniques (ART) and Massage Therpay are effective at reducing adhesions with the muscles, ligaments and tendons, which improves the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Both ART and Massage Therapy focus on removing these adhesions and clearing the tissues of these toxic factors. When done, the resulting effect is and increase of blood to the tissues, thus allowing for quicker healing, increased flexibility of the tissue and ability to lengthen, and an in turn an increase in strength.

ART focuses on muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons and the adhesions within those structures that may be causing pain or restriction. Utilizing a hand-on contact point and active range of motion, the adhesion is removed and the tissue is restored to normal function and health. Massage Therapy utilizes focused tension from the practitioner through the entire length of a soft tissue in order to again clean out the adhesions and restoring health to the structure.

After joint restrictions and adhesions are reduced, specific rehabilitative exercises that can often be done at home, can be used to strengthen your weaknesses and to help balance asymmetries in order to maintain improvements.

The Results By using these methods – chiropractic care, soft tissue treatments and functional rehabilitation – you will feel less pain, you will have an overall sense of well-being, and you will have more efficiency in your movements no matter what your line of work may be. So that at the end of the workday, we can go enjoy the things we like to do best.

For More Information To learn more about how chiropractic care and soft tissue treatments can help keep you healthy SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

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Print and Download full Article How Work Life Can Affect Your Health and Daily Activities Healthy Running

Q. I am a runner and I try to do 1-2 races a year, but I always end up injuring myself. I’m planning to do this year’s Chicago Marathon, what can I do to stay healthy, especially as I’m approaching my long runs?

A. Think about this for a moment. It takes the average person about 41,280 strides to complete a marathon. Then you need to factor in the hundreds of miles spent training; average weekly miles ranging from 35-50 miles. Now you can get an idea as to why runners are so prone to overuse injuries. What’s more, if you already have an imbalance hiding somewhere in your legs, core, or even upper body, that can become magnified to the point of serious pain and side-lining your training. As we train, muscles have a tendency to become short and tight, allowing adhesions to accumulate and impede our normal movement patterns causing pain, discomfort and imbalances. Active Release Techniques (ART) and Massage Therapy are designed to release tight muscles and breakdown adhesions. During peak training, it’s important to be evaluated by a certified ART provider.

TIPS FOR HEALTHY RUNNING

1. Foam Rolling and the Stick: Investing in a foam roller and/or a stick can help ease tight muscles before running. 2. Strengthen Your Core: Do the McGill Four exercises; the instructions for the exercises can be viewed at www.chicagochirosports.com/exercises.html. 3. Add Miles Slowly: Make sure you don’t add miles on too quickly; you need to allow your body time to adapt to the increase mileage. In general, you can add a mile for every run you do per week, provided you then run at least two weeks at the new level before advancing again. For instance if you run 5 times a week, you can add 5 miles the next time you increase your weekly miles. 4. Get back to nature: Trail running is a great way to add variety to your training. When running on uneven terrain, your core, hips, legs and ankles have to work harder to stabilize because each step is slightly different. 5. Read about running: Subscribe to Runner’s World Magazine, read Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training Guide or read Born to Run to help get more ideas to try out. Even try Paleo Diet for Athletes or even Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About the Bike

6. Cross-train: Join a soccer league, Cross-Fit gym, or lift weights. You could even try swimming and cycling. Who knows you may find you like doing triathlons too. 7. Contrast Showers: When cleaning up after training, try showering for 2 minutes with the temperature as cold as you can stand. Then do 2 minutes of warm water. Repeat one time and then end with 3 minutes of cold water. The combination of hot and cold helps to flush metabolic wastes out of your muscles and nutrients into them, leading to faster recovery times. 8. Invest in Your Shoes: Buy new shoes every 300-400 miles, even if they don’t look worn. The average shoe life is about 300 miles. Buy two pair of shoes with a similar last, and wear on alternative days. It’s better for your feet and legs not to wear the same shoes for running day in and day. 9. Hill Sprints/Bleachers: Warm-up and stretch for 10 minutes then perform 6-10 repeats of running up a hill or up and down a set of bleachers. Go hard and keep these workouts short. 10. Rest and Eat Right: Perhaps the most important one of all. Get eight hours of sleep each night and incorporate rest days into your schedule. Not giving your body adequate time to heal and recover between workouts is a surefire way to overtraining and overuse injuries. It is also very important that you are getting the right amount of quality carbs and protein. Your diet should consist of 60% carbohydrates and 15-20% protein. Good luck with your training!

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Sprained Ankles

Q. I have a long history of spraining my ankles. What can I do to prevent future ankle sprains? A. More often than not, a sprained ankle is due to a loss of proprioception and balance in the ankles, and not necessarily a strength issue. Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense its position in space. A classic example of when your proprioception fails you is when you trip on a flat surface while walking. Often you look back puzzled and in search of something sticking up that may have tripped you, only to see that there was nothing there. Some experts will argue that our shoes prevent the full development of the proprioceptors in our feet and ankles, which inhibit us from being able to quickly adapt to the ground surface.

1. Balance with one foot on a flat, stable surface for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other foot. 2. Stand on one foot on a flat, stable surface for 30 seconds with your eyes closed. Repeat with the other foot. 3. Using an unstable surface, balance on one leg for 30 seconds with your eyes open. For an unstable surface try a rolled-up or folded yoga mat, BOSU- ball, or wobble-board. 4. Using an unstable surface, balance on one leg for 30 seconds with your eyes now closed. For an unstable surface try a rolled-up or folded yoga mat, BOSU-ball, or wobble- board. 5. Play light catch with a light-weighted ball while balancing on one foot for 30 seconds each leg. Have a partner toss it to you at different areas.

Unfortunately, the ankle isn’t the only part that needs rehab in ankle sprains. Oftentimes, the gluteus medius muscle in your hip region becomes weakened following an ankle sprain.

1. The Clam 2. Banded Glute-Bridge 3. Reaching Single-Leg Deadlift 4. Single-Leg Squat

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Q. I have tight hip flexors. Is stretching my hip flexors enough to overcome the tightness? What else could I be doing to help my situation? A.If you are like most, your daily commute and sitting throughout the majority of the day contributes to the length of your hip flexors. The more time you spend sitting will tend to shorten your hip flexors. Tight hip flexors can add compression forces to your lumbar spine when you do stand up, as well as create other problems for your hips and low back.

Half-Kneeling Desk Work

Depending on the height of your desk, you may be able to kneel on one knee while doing computer and deskwork. By using a small pillow, folded towel, or pad you can alternate kneeling on one knee while you check email, do your spreadsheets or even peruse Facebook. By keeping one hip extended, you effectively reduce the amount of time you have your hips flexed. This also puts you spine in a more neutral and less stressful position. Start by trying 10-15 minutes every hour in the half-kneeling position.

Standing Desk

Many people these days are realizing the benefits of standing desks. By standing at your desk you forgo the sitting all together. Plus, many people claim to be more productive and less groggy when they switch to standing desks. If you work with a laptop, a low-cost way of making a standing desk is to simply take a chair and place it on your desk and then put the laptop on the chair.

Stand While Talking on the Phone

If you are not quite ready to do the standing desk, you can at least handle your phone calls while standing. Just be sure to use a headset if you use the phone a lot. To stretch your hip flexors with other exercises, add the hip flexor and back stretches to your daily routine.

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