Hips · Seated or Standing
Seated hip march
Lifting one knee and then the other while you sit tall. It gets the hips moving without leaving the chair.
- 5 lifts with each leg
- Movement
How to do it
- Sit upright, away from the backrest, and hold the sides of the chair.
- Lift your left leg with the knee bent, as far as is comfortable.
- Place the foot down with control.
- Repeat with the right leg, and keep alternating.
How long
Five lifts with each leg (NHS), about 30 seconds.
What you should feel
The muscles at the front of the hip and thigh working. It is a movement rather than a stretch.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain in the hip or groin as you lift.
Variations
- Standing. March on the spot beside your desk, holding it for balance.
- Smaller. Lift only the heel, keeping the toes on the floor.
Common mistakes
- Leaning back to lift the knee higher.
- Dropping the foot heavily.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other hips stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
It is part of these ready-made routines: Lower back and hips, 5 minutes and Standing break, 5 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Sitting exercises, NHS (UK)
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK) (general stretching guidance)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)