After a long day on the winding, demanding and beautiful hiking trail, returning to your hotel room can feel like stepping into paradise. However, before you soak your aching limbs in a hot bath or flop on the comfort of your hotel bed, stop and stretch those burning muscles. If you don’t, you’ll pay for it by either the inability to get out of bed the next day or, worse, sudden injury.

One of the benefits of day-long hikes or longer hikes that are broken into one-day chunks between villages is that your hike has a clear end time. You aren’t tempted to go until you’re so exhausted it’s all you can do to pitch your tent; you have a hotel or hostel waiting for you. These boundaries are a great way to segue into proper after-hiking self-care. You don’t need long, really only a few minutes, to perform a series of stretches that will keep you limber and injury-free.

To stretch your calves:

• Stand facing the wall of your room
• Place both hands against the wall for stability
• Set your feet shoulder-width apart with one foot in front of the other
• Your toes should be pointed directly at the wall
• With your hands still flat on the wall, lean into your front leg
• Make sure you keep your heels on the ground
• Once you feel a stretch in the calf of your front leg, hold this position for 30 seconds
• Repeat on other leg

To stretch your quads:

• Kneel with both knees on the ground
• Your knees should be shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed directly behind you
• Sit down with your rear end placed right between your heels
• If you want to increase the stretch in your quads, lean backward
• Once you achieve the level of stretch you feel is effective, hold this position for 30 seconds

To stretch your hamstrings:

• Stand on one side of your bed with your toes pointed toward the bed
• Bring one leg up and set it on the bed
• This leg should be extended so that your knee is locked
• The standing leg should be straight but not locked
• Keeping your back as straight and tall as you can, bend at your hips toward the leg on the bed
• Reach forward with both arms and rest them on your shin or your foot
• Hold this stretch for 30 seconds
• Repeat on the other side

To stretch your adductors:

• Sit on the floor with your feet pressed together and your knees pointed out
• Rest your hands on your ankles and your elbows comfortably on your thighs
• Stretch your back tall and straight
• Bending at your hips, move your head toward your ankles
• Your elbows should apply slight pressure to your thighs until you feel the stretch in the inner muscles of your thigh, or adductors
• Hold this position for 30 seconds

To stretch your glutes:

• Sit on the floor with one leg extended in front of you and the other bent with your knee pointing at the ceiling
• Keep your back straight, and twist your body toward the bent leg
• Reach your opposite elbow to the outside of your knee and press in
• Once you feel a pulling stretch in your glute, hold this position for 30 seconds
• Repeat on the other side

The stretches we suggest here are specifically for after your hike as a cooldown. But these are not the only stretches that will keep your muscles spasm-free after spending the day on the trail. In fact, YouTube offers hundreds of videos that provide visual examples of other effective stretches. The benefit to this is, of course, you can watch an instructor perform the stretch properly and mirror his or her technique.

While most people remember to stretch before heading out on a hike, stretching after you hike often gets overlooked. After your hike, your muscles are warm and primed. It’s an excellent time to stretch them out and relieve the tension they may be carrying from the difficulties of the trail or the weight of your pack.

Once you’re done stretching, you’re free to enjoy the relaxing ambiance of a hot bath. Then when you crawl into bed, your body will truly rest. When you wake, you’ll be ready to head back out on the trail.

Bio:
Cassie is a tech blogger and health and wellness enthusiast who loves to hike. She is always looking for the healthiest approach to life, and she loves to share her knowledge with anyone she meets along the way.