IF YOU DO ONE THING TODAY...DO THE GLUTE SQUEEZE

WE’RE all guilty of too much sitting, whether it’s in the office, driving the car or lounging on the sofa.

The problem is that the human body was not designed to sit, and doing so for long periods can be damaging.

A common issue caused by prolonged sitting is tight hip muscles. Flexible hips help to keep you balanced, but chronic sitters rarely extend the hip flexor muscles at the front of the pelvis. This means they become short and tight – something that can, over time, cause painful osteoarthritis in the hip joints. Tight hips can limit your range of movement and length of your stride and make falls more likely later in life.

Sitting also weakens the gluteal, or buttock, muscles, which can harm your posture and increase the risk of back injuries. The good news is that there’s a really simple move to fire up all these ‘problem’ areas. Not only does it get your buttock muscles working, but it’s also fantastic at stretching out the hip muscles. So stop whatever you’re doing and start squeezing…

Assume a half kneeling position, ensuring your back is nice and straight.

Tense and then squeeze your buttock muscles, holding for 20 seconds. Repeat ten times.

To step this up a gear, squeeze the buttocks at half strength for 20 seconds, and then even harder while holding for a further 20 seconds.

Repeat by switching sides, resting on the other knee.