Hip/low back pain: What works for me.

I've read a lot of bloggers complaining about hip and low back pain and keep meaning to share what works for me.  I saw this exercise many many years ago on Regis and Kathy Lee (yeah, that long ago). I think it may have been Susan Powter who recommended it, but I really can't be sure anymore. At the time, I was working on my feet a lot, I was at a healthy weight but I had a lot of joint pain, including in my hips, and my lower back was killing me because of all the lifting I was doing, and my bed was a piece of junk I had been sleeping on for 15 years.  Anyway, the exercise worked for me and I remembered it after Kiddo was born and my back would give me more troubles as I gained weight.

1. Lay flat on your side with your arm under your head and your toes pointed.
2. Keeping your knee straight, slowly lift your leg straight up so that your toes point towards the ceiling (as high as you can get w/o hurting yourself) and you feel the stretch on your inner thigh.
3. Slowly lower your leg to the beginning position
4. Then Bend your knee and slowly bring it up to your abdomen as best you can until you feel a stretch in you glutes.
5. Slowly straighten your leg again to the starting position.
6. Repeat.

You decide how many times you want to repeat this each night and do each side. If your legs are really heavy it might be 5 per side at first. It's important to do both sides so that your lower back is "balanced"

It should help strengthen those hip flexors and your low back.

I'm definitely not an exercise expert, but I hope this helps somebody!