Extreme Elevation: Legs Up Against The Wall
Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Exercises and other Running topics.
Extreme Elevation: Legs Up Against The Wall
Elevation of an injured area is an important principle of first aid, but elevating your legs regularly is a restorative exercise for anyone and for marathoners in particular because we ask so much of our legs and feet. One of my high school running coaches told us to elevate our feet after practices now and then, and one of my yoga teachers periodically suggests that we place our legs against the wall for a few minutes at the end of the class. Here's how you do it:
- Find a door or an empty patch of wall space. Lie on a blanket or towel if you are on a hard floor.
- Lie flat on your back, and then lift your legs and rest your feet on the wall. If you can, scoot as close to the wall as possible so that your legs touch the wall, too, and the base of your lower back is 2-3 inches from the wall.
- Stay in this position for at least 2-3 minutes, or as long as 10 minutes.
Comments
6/16/2009 11:34:28 AMMAUREEN said:
HI I HAVE A LOT OF PAIN IN LOWER BACK ,AND I FOUND PUTTING LEGS UP ON WALL ABOUT TEN MINS ,HELPED PAIN
GREAT TIP
5/10/2012 9:33:01 AM
Johnson said:
What is the science behind elevating the legs after training? I understand that the blood will flow to the heart when elevated, but what happens after we stop? The blood flowing through the lower limbs is considered "fresher"?
7/19/2012 7:45:20 AM
Bryce said:
Its similar to the blood doping principal, without actually blood doping. You allow your body to better circulate the blood flow in your legs, getting pumped through your heart and returning to your legs "fresher" than ever! Although you don't have a higher blood cell count as you would in the case of blood doping, you will have higher oxygen levels.
7/25/2012 11:33:16 AM
Heidi said:
Glad it helped!
| Guru Spotlight |
| Heidi Splete |
