The "Soldier" Exercise

I'm being asked, "What exactly is the "soldier" exercise?"

So, here goes.  It's really very simple.

Lie down flat on your back.  Point your toes toward you.  Tighten your calf muscles.  Tighten your thigh muscles.  Tighten your abdominal muscles.  Tighten your buttocks (hold that dime between the buttocks).  Hold that position for the count of five seconds, and relax.  Repeat for five cycles.

Simple, isn't it?  But I can certainly attest to its effectiveness.

It can be done while standing, but of course you would not bring your toes toward you.  All other muscles can be tightened though.

I've discovered that I can also do it while sitting, if I have enough room to extend my legs straight outward.  Otherwise, I simple tighten my thighs, abdomen and buttocks (or even just my abdomen and buttocks).  It's equally beneficial, for me, in relieving my SI joint pain.

I've been calling this exercise into play very frequently over the past week and I must say, it truly has helped me get through the days since my last physio session.

I still need to continue my acupuncture and ultrasound treatments to hopefully get rid of the problem altogether. But in the interim, the soldier exercise seems to be the cat's meow.

I'm going this morning for my weekly physio session and I plan to tell my physiotherapist just how much I love her!