7 ways to keep your leg muscles strong and healthy

Having strong and healthy muscles is vital for everyone, as it gives us the required mobility and balance to go about our daily lives. Leg muscles are one of the most burdened out of all the muscles in the human body, and it’s highly important to keep them strong and healthy. Therefore, one must do some work towards the sustenance of their leg muscles. The best part about this is that to ensure this, a person can follow some of the most basic things in life, such as:

Walking

A 30-minute walk every day, which would be around 10,000 steps, could significantly help in keeping the leg muscles intact and fully functional. A person can try walking uphill or faster for more resistance, which will, in return, increase the leg strength in the longer term.

Leg massage

Massaging increases blood flow to the muscles, promoting healing in the concerned area. It is simplistic and effective as it improves flexibility and loosens the muscle tightening. Dry brushing is also one beneficial technique to improve the blood circulation in the legs. It can help diminish pain and muscle stiffness if done regularly.

Aerobic exercise

According to Dr. Yugal Karkhur, Senior Consultant, Orthopaedics, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, “Activities like walking, running, and cycling could have a highly impact on the leg muscles, making them stronger with higher endurance. Dancing is another form of aerobic exercise, which any person can do to keep their leg strength in check; however, for older people, the intensity could be lower.”

Water exercises

Activities like swimming provide resistance without excessive stress on the joints, and they require a full range of motion, which can positively affect the leg strength. The best part about swimming is that the water supports your weight, and it's ideal for people with joint pain and mobility issues.

Lunges and squats

An excellent exercise to build leg strength and improve balance, lunges can help you significantly develop strength in quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. A very simple exercise that can be done almost everywhere are squats. It helps massively to strengthen quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The easiest way to do this is with your body weight only; however, one can use added resistance by using weights.

Resistance bands with calf raises

According to Dr. Mohit Madan, Director and Senior Consultant, Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi, “Resistance bands provide a versatile and effective way to strengthen leg muscles. They can be used for various exercises, such as leg extensions, hamstring curls, and lateral leg raises. This highly effective exercise was made more famous by the legendary basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. All a person needs to do is stand on their toes and slowly get back onto their whole feet, and repeat this movement 15-20 times ideally.”

Prioritizing stretching and balanced diet

Many muscle injuries occur due to stiffness in muscles; stretching helps in improving flexibility and preventing muscle soreness. Ensure your diet has the required portions of protein, calcium, and vitamin D, as they are necessary for muscle building and bone health.