Daily Fit Tip: Stretch those hamstrings!

I saw a physical therapist years ago for a sports injury. After an assessment she proclaimed, "You have the tightest hamstrings I've ever seen in a woman!" I felt like I was kicked in the gut. This famous Chicago p.t. had rehabbed thousands of patients over the years. A proclamation like that meant I absolutely had to start stretching my hams.

She gave me a 3 minute daily stretching exercise which I still do today. Initially, it hurt. But after a couple weeks, I felt like a new woman. My hamstrings were never sore, my back was loose, I felt this odd sense of relaxation throughout my whole body. Then I eventually discovered yoga, which is like 'stretching on steroids' to me. I feel like I have just departed a spa after yoga -- a state of relaxation unmatched by any sport.

Here are a few hamstring exercises. The door jam exercise is similar to the stretches I perform, however I use a rope or towel to pull back the raised leg, not a wall. I also stretch the raised leg in the 11:00 am, noon and 1:00 pm positions for 30 seconds each. The best 1 1/2 minutes per leg ever spent. Don't cheat the stretch -- make sure your other leg lays flat on the floor.