Moderate leg stretches for a quick workout

Stretching is a great form of exercise that can be done at home. Read on for a medium-challenge leg routine for healthy, ideal for active people who currently lack any formal exercise in their lives.

• Rating: Medium

Perfect for:

• Middle-aged people with busy lives
• Sedentary people in good health
• Active, healthy seniors
• People who have noticed a recent decline in energy

What's needed:

• Light dumbbells
• Towel
• Mat, bed or daybed
• Supportive chair
• Wall space

Stretches glutes and lower back

1. Lie on your back and cross your right leg over the left.
2. Lightly grasp your right knee with your left hand and your left knee with your right hand.
3. Gently pull your knee toward your chest as far as comfortably possible. Hold, then release and repeat on the opposite side.

Stretches calves

1. Stand at arm's length from a wall and place your palms flat against the wall.
2. Extend your left leg 0.6 to 1 metre (2 to 3 feet) behind you and press your left heel to the floor. (Your right knee will bend naturally as you extend your left leg.)
3. Keeping both heels flat on the floor, press against the wall until you feel a nice stretch in your calf. Hold, then repeat with the other leg.

Stretches hamstrings, glutes and calves

1. Kneel on all fours with your feet flexed.
2. Press your hands and feet into the floor, raising your hips toward the ceiling (your body should look like an upside-down V).
3. Keep lifting your tailbone toward the ceiling as you lower your heels to the floor as far as comfortably possible.

Stretches quadriceps and hips

1. Stand (with your right hand resting on a wall for support, if needed) and bend your left leg behind you.
2. Grasp the top of your left foot with your left hand, keeping your back straight.
3. Slowly pull your heel toward your rear, stopping when you feel tension in your quads (the front of your thigh).
4. Keep your hips and knees in alignment and tilt your pelvis slightly forward to deepen the stretch. Hold, then switch sides.

Keep this guide in mind and get active with these simple leg stretches!