I shared over the summer that I was suffering from a hip injury that greatly hindered the training I had planned for the North Face Trail Run, not to mention every daily activity. It was becoming a real pain in my side. It r-e-a-l-l-y hurt to sit, stand, walk, run, carry my children, just about everything. It was a progression of pain that had started when I was pregnant with Maven and kind of waxed and waned throughout the last two years. While I always took time to give it rest and attention, it never quite went away after delivering Sylvie and therefore, my body alerted me with all of the painful signs to get it resolved once and for all.

Thanks to Shakira, we all know that the hips don’t lie because we never knew her body could dance like this. Really though, a woman’s body likely never relies on her hips as much as during the time she became a mother. The weight and pressure of pregnancy lays a lot in the hips and pelvis. Whether it’s due to round ligament pain, sciatic issues or simply stretching and adapting for child birth, a woman’s hips can easily become a weak point in the body. Weak hips may continue beyond the childbearing period as well due to the natural way a mother carries a child on her hip or how she bends, squats and maneuvers to adapt to all things baby and child in her life. In my case, I experienced sciatic pain with my first pregnancy and due to bed rest in both pregnancies, the position of my children and pressure on my hips and pelvis really left things out of whack.

The great resolve of my hip pain involved a combination of rest, manipulation and dry needling therapy, all of which I would highly recommend for anyone else who may be suffering. It also involved a more practical focus on other muscles in my body to better support the work and function of my hips. After coaching from my physical therapist and lots of research {because I always want to be better informed and care so much about my wellness!}, it became apparent that every mother needs to work these two body parts – whether she feels pain or not: her glutes {yes, your butt} and her abdominals.

1. Mom Buns

Those buns? Those are comprised of three different muscles that are the largest and strongest muscles in the body. They work together to move your hips and keep them strong – very important for moms. Strengthening them will help improve your posture and make climbing stairs, sitting and standing easier, in addition to improving athletic performance and decreasing risk for injuries, for those who are interested.

While this simple move may not give you a butt like Bey, it will surely provide more stability in your stance and strength in your being (i.e. give you better mom buns). I promise this is easy enough to do while waiting in line at the grocery store.

image from gethealthyu.com

Directions: Stand on one leg. Move the other leg forward for three counts and back to standing position. Then move the leg side for three counts, back, and behind for three counts and return. Switch sides and repeat. You can do this as often as you’d like. Pictured is with a resistance band. You could add this to make the moves more difficult, but just simply isolating and engaging your glutes without will still build some strength.

2. ABSolutely Easy Mom Moves

It’s straightforward and simple: the plank. The plank is arguably one of the most effective exercises for working your core while it also works your glutes and hamstrings, supports proper posture and improves your balance. By promoting a strong core + glutes, you are ultimately putting less strain on your hips.

But you can’t do a plank because you don’t work out, you say? Surely you get down on the ground to play with your kids. Try a 30 second plank while playing on the floor with your little ones and trick yourself into this simple fitness move. You will feel the benefits.

There are many options to work these two body parts, but these two simple moves can be done by any woman, anywhere. With my treatment plan and the focus on these two parts, my hips are back to good, painless condition — strong enough to run a 10K and flexible enough for our living room dance parties. ✌?

XO