Incorporating a handful of mobility and strength moves into your routine can make a big difference in the way your hips feel and function over the long haul. “We see the greatest impact in bone density with resistance training,” says Galliett.

Even if you haven’t done any strength training, you can start now and reap the benefits in your bone density — resisting future losses, preserving current bone density, and possibly even increasing it. “It’s never too late,” she says.

Lower-body resistance training also strengthens the muscles and connective tissue around the hips, which improves day-to-day function of the entire body as well as athletic performance.

Perform the following three stretches every day, and the three strength moves two or three times weekly.

If you have moderate hip pain that doesn’t improve after two weeks, consult a physical therapist about targeted treatment. If you have already been diagnosed with an underlying hip condition, continue management with your medical provider before performing these exercises.

Same goes if hip pain creates an inability to walk or causes pain at night: Seek medical assistance before attempting these moves.

Mobility Moves

Half-Kneeling Hip-Flexor Stretch

This stretch targets the hip flexors and quads, which can feel tight and limit your movement if you sit for most of the day.

• Assume a low-lunge position, with your left foot and right knee on the ground, and both legs bent 90 degrees (use a cushion or folded yoga mat to support your knee, if needed). Rest your left hand on your front left thigh for support, if needed.
• Draw your bellybutton toward your spine to tilt your hips forward, and reach your right arm overhead. You should feel a gentle stretch in the front of your hip.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds before switching sides. Do two or three sets, two or three times per day.

Prone Press-Up

This exercise not only stretches the muscles in the front of your body — namely, the quads and hip flexors — but it’s also a healthy move for the lower back. “It helps to oppose all the flexed postures that we’re in for the majority of our day,” Lensing explains.

• Lie on your stomach with your hands on the floor at shoulder level.
• On a big exhale, press through your hands to lift your upper body off the floor until your arms are fully extended, keeping your hips and legs on the floor. Try to keep your glute muscles relaxed.
• Pause before bending at the elbows to lower your chest back down to the floor. Perform three sets of 10 reps, two or three times per day.

Supine Figure-Four Stretch

This move opens the hips and stretches the glutes, Lensing says.

• Lie on your back with your right knee bent, foot flat on the floor. Bring your left knee toward your chest and gently guide that ankle to rest on the right thigh.
• Slip both hands around the back of your right thigh and gently pull your leg
  toward your chest without letting your torso or head rise from the floor.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds, and then switch sides. Do three sets, two or three times per day.

Strength Moves

Side-Lying Hip Abduction With Band

This exercise strengthens your hip abductors, a group of muscles — specifically, the gluteus medius and minimus — that help keep you stable while walking and running.

• Begin lying on your left side, legs bent, with a small resistance band around the lower thighs, above the knees.
• Roll your trunk forward and let your top leg fall behind your bottom leg. Let your head rest on your bottom arm. Place your opposite hand on the floor in front of your torso for support.
• To initiate the movement, lift your top leg until you feel a squeeze in your side-butt. Then lower your leg with control.
• Complete 20 reps before switching to your right side. Do two or three sets per side, two or three times per week.
• To make it easier, omit the resistance band. To make it harder, lift your upper body off the floor so you’re in a modified side-plank position.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

This move gets you off the floor and uses your hips in a more functional position: standing on one leg. After all, walking, running, and even climbing stairs are technically single-leg movements. You should feel this exercise in the hamstrings and glutes, not in the lower back, Lensing says.

• Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing toward you. Then shift your weight onto your right leg.
• With a gentle bend in your standing leg, lift your left foot a few inches off the floor behind you.
• Keeping your back flat, sit back into your hips and hinge forward to slowly lower the weights toward the floor. As you lower the weights, allow your elevated foot to lift toward the ceiling. Stop when you feel a slight pull in the hamstrings.
• Return to start. Perform two or three sets of 20 reps on each leg, two or three times per week.

Single-Leg Bridge With Knee to Chest

The single-leg bridge engages your gluteus maximus — a key muscle for keeping your hips healthy — while the knee-to-chest portion helps stretch the hip flexors at the same time, Lensing says.

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet hip width apart on the floor.
• Bring your left knee to your chest and push into the floor with your right foot to raise your hips, squeezing your glutes as you do. Lift your hips as high as you can without arching your back.
• Keeping your knee pulled into your chest, lower your hips back down to the floor. Complete 10 to 20 reps before repeating on the other side. Do two or three sets per side, two or three times per week.

This article originally appeared in “Healthy, Happy Hips” in the October 2020 issue of Experience Life.