The 12 Days of (Christmas) Exercises: #5

Today is the 5th day in our 12 Days of (Christmas) Exercises and you might want to sit down for this one... against the wall, that is! Today's exercise is a Wall Sit! This exercise works the quadricep- the large, 4-part muscle at the front of the thigh that runs vertically from the hip/pelvis down to the knee and helps to straighten and stabilize the knee.

Place your back against a bare wall and lower down into a sitting position. Ideally (this may be something you need to work up to) your thighs should be parallel to the ground. Press your shoulder blades and head back against the wall and open up your chest. For less intensity or if you suffer from knee pain, don't come down quite so far into a deep wall sit- minimize the flexion of the joint.

See how long you can stay in the position before the burning in your thighs gets to be too intense. Distractions work well for taking your mind off of the discomfort- try singing a few verses of your child's favorite song to them or see if you can stay in your wall sit through an entire commercial break during your favorite show! The more you practice the longer you'll be able to hold it and the stronger your quadriceps will be!