Blue skies and a warm breeze totally motivate me to exercise outdoors, so I've been doing lots of running, biking, and hiking. My muscles are becoming stronger, but they're also getting tighter, especially my hips. If you're in need of a good hip stretch, give this Pigeon variation a try. Bending your bottom knee next to your thigh intensifies this stretch so you also feel it in your quad, shin, Read more

Here's the last of the three variations of the forward bend Janu Sirsasana. All three of these poses increase flexibility in your hamstrings, but this variation will also stretch out the muscles in your feet. Some instructors also believe this pose will massage your inner organs, which keeps them healthy, but I'm not sure I buy that one. After checking out this last variation, tell me which of Read more

After long bike rides, my shins and the tops of my feet are often tight. All that flexing of my ankle and pulling up on the pedals to maximize my stroke takes its toll on this part of my body. Once I slip off my stiff cycling shoes, this is the first stretch I do. Here's how: Cross your left ankle over your right with your toes pointed to the right. Bend your right knee to increase the stretch Read more

If you think about it, your feet take a lot of beating, from pounding the ground when running, to walking all over the city, to wearing high heels. They carry the weight of our entire bodies, so take time to give them some TLC. This stretch will target the muscle in the soles of your feet, but will also stretch your calves. To learn how to do this stretch keep reading Read more

FitSugar community member (and fitness instructor) livinginthin has shared a how-to on an overlooked exercise that everyone should be doing. Running, cycling, squatting, jumping, curling, crunches, and lunging — you do it all, right? Well, the one move you aren’t doing is probably the one that can keep you doing all those things (and more), pain and injury-free for a lifetime. What is it? Read more

From pounding the pavement running to spending a day in fashionable shoes that lack proper support, feet take a beating. If you're training for a race this Spring and upping your mileage, it pays to show your peds some love. You can do some preventive prehab to avoid coming down with a case of plantar fasciitis. This painful condition, which can be common in new runners and affects women more Read more

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar! If you're anything like me, Zumba has always held a certain allure, but the very idea of dancing in front of a roomful of people sounds about as appealing as doing my taxes or making a spur-of-the-moment appointment at the DMV. I'm not just painfully shy about busting a move but hopelessly uncoordinated in the Read more