Fitness
Try 5 exercises to fix knee pain and offset the damage of sitting all day, according to a physical therapist
- If you get knee pain or injuries in the gym, that could be from sitting all day.
- Exercises that strengthen and stretch the leg muscles effectively will help protect knees.
- For healthier joints, aim to move regularly and work on your balance and stability.
Simple exercises can help prevent knee pain from derailing your routine, according to a physical therapist.
Andrey Simeonovski, a physical therapy doctor, recently spent a week in Kathmandu as part of Operation Walk, helping rehabilitate patients who’d had knee replacement surgeries.
He said a major takeaway from the experience is that consistently putting your body through the same motions can cause problems, whether you’re sitting all day or doing repetitive physical tasks.
“It’s a variety of movements that are important for your health in your body,” Simeonovski said.
Here are some exercises that offer your joints a range of motion to strengthen the surrounding muscles. As always, it’s best to work with a qualified trainer, or talk to a doctor first if you have existing injuries.
Lateral “monster walks” can relieve knee and back pain
Milan Markovic/Getty Images
Resistance bands are a great tool for strengthening muscles that help stabilize the knee joint.
Simeonovski said a common exercise he uses for the knees, hips, and back is the “monster walk,” taking steps from side to side with a band around the legs or feet.
The band provide tension to engage the glutes, which can be underdeveloped from sitting all day, so firing them up helps to stabilize the rest of the body.
“It reduces strain on the low back,” Simeonovski said.
Quad stretches help take pressure off your knees
LordHenriVoton/Getty Images
Knee pain can often result from tightness in the quads, which then pull on the knee and create problems, according to Simeonovski.
A couch stretch can help lengthen and loosen up the quads while opening up the hip flexors.
Simeonovski typically recommends an elevated version of the stretch, which is easier on the knee:
Rest one knee on a bench or box near the wall. Bend that knee while moving the shin and top of the foot to rest flat up against the wall.
If it’s painful, ease up on the stretch, especially if you have an injury.
Simeonovski said the best way to avoid injury is pay attention — if something is painful enough that it’s distracting, or if you stop the exercise and the pain persists, don’t continue.
“Pain that lingers is a red flag,” he said.
Hamstring curls can protect your knees from injury
Simeonovski said the hamstrings, the muscles on the back of the leg, are often overlooked. We tend to focus on the quads on the front of the leg. But that can increase the risk of damaging ligaments in the knee because the quads can put too much pressure on the ACL without the hamstrings to counteract them.
To strengthen the hamstrings, try Nordic hamstring curls.
Start in a kneeling position with your feet secured (you can use a special mat or bench, tuck them under a couch or other furniture, or have someone hold them). Keeping your torso, hips, and shoulders in a straight line, slowly lower yourself to the ground, landing on your hands as if in the bottom of push-up.
This exercise can be challenging. If you feel like you don’t have control, use a resistance band secured behind you to help offset some of your body weight. That will make the movement easier.
Step-ups strengthen the knee and help fix imbalances
Zinkevych/Getty Images
One of Simeonovski’s go-to exercises for improving lower body strength and joint health is the step-up.
Stand in front of a stool, bench, box, or stairs, and place one foot on the elevated surface. Pressing through that foot, lift your body up onto the step, and then return to the starting position. Repeat, alternating the starting foot.
Step-ups are low-impact and work the glutes, hamstrings, and quads as well as the core muscles. Alternating sides can also help improve your balance.
Go slow and gradually increase weight, height, or intensity as you get comfortable with the exercise. Squats and lunges offer similar benefits, but may need modifications if you have an existing injury.
Simeonovski said he prefers these movements to exercises like knee extensions, which aren’t necessarily bad for your joints, but don’t offer as much stability.
Rotational exercise helps to offset damage from sitting
SimpleImages/Getty Images
Tightness in one area can cause a chain reaction and create aches and issues elsewhere.
For instance, back problems can worsen strain and pressure on the knees.
That’s why Simeonovski recommends the open book exercise for patients who have knee pain and spend lots of time sitting. It doesn’t directly involve the knees but can improve overall mobility.
Lie on a mat or the floor with your knees and hips bent at 90 degrees and your arms extended in front of you. Slowly rotate the top arm up and across your body as far as you comfortably can, gently twisting your spine. Return to the starting position and repeat, being sure to perform the exercise on both sides.
You can also do a similar rotation from a half-kneeling position.
Take breaks for movement throughout the day
The key to strengthening and protecting your joints is consistency, especially if you sit all day, according to Simeonovski.
Find opportunities to get up and move around at regular intervals, setting an alarm if needed to remind yourself to take a stretch break, go for a short walk, or otherwise give your body a rest from repetition.
“Staying in one position is a problem long-term,” he said.
It’s important to have goals in mind as you set out on your fitness journey, whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle or train for a race.skynesher/Supplied
January is notoriously the busiest time of year at the gym. A survey from Ipsos reported that a third of Canadians made exercise-based resolutions for the new year, with many folks working out for the first time or returning to fitness after some time away. If you’re new to exercise, the gym can feel like an intimidating place. But it doesn’t need to be. Below we’ve put together a few suggestions to help you get started.
Have a plan going in
For success at the gym, it’s crucial to have a plan. Before you start, it’s important to identify your goals. Are you looking to get stronger? Training for a race or competition? Do you want to improve body composition? While almost any consistent exercise is going to improve your overall health, specific results require specific training.
Following a workout program can help you stay committed – here’s how to write your own
Those completely new to working out may want to invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer. A reputable trainer will be able to put together a plan based on your preferences and skill level, while walking you through the proper form for each exercise. If cost is an issue, many gyms offer a free intro training session as a sign-up perk. There are also hundreds of different workout programs you can find online and video tutorials outlining proper form.
If you’re intimidated to exercise on your own, a fitness class allows you to follow along with an instructor while getting some quick pointers on how to properly perform the workout. Many gyms offer discounted or free classes to first-time visitors.
Trying to do too much, too fast will burn you out, leave you injured or both
When you’re motivated by a new year’s resolution, it’s tempting to pencil in long gym sessions multiple times a week. But that kind of regime is rarely sustainable. If you’d like to make exercising a habit beyond January – and you’ll need to for any kind of lasting results – it’s best to think about what you can do in the long term.
“You can either do an hour of weightlifting a few days a week, and actually do it, or you have these imaginary 10-hour training sessions you’ll never actually have time for,” said Dan John, strength coach and author. “I try to focus on [programs that are] doable, repeatable and reasonable.”
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Similarly, trying to immediately push beyond your physical limitations is a great way to get injured. For weightlifting, it’s important to consider proper warm-ups, active mobility exercises and learning the right techniques before trying to lift anything too heavy. For cardio, Canada Running Series offers a Couch to 5K plan that eases newcomers into jogging by starting small and gradually increasing the length/difficulty of each run.
Follow basic gym etiquette
The gym is a shared public space. Everyone there is trying to get in a good workout. That’s harder to do when people are having phone conversations, listening to videos without using headphones and refusing to wipe down their equipment after use.
In March, fitness trainer Paul Landini wrote an article explaining some unofficial rules to follow when going to the gym, including being mindful of other people’s space and making sure you’re not monopolizing equipment during busy hours.
Try to find what you like about the gym
Changes in body composition, strength and overall health take time. They also need upkeep over the long term. Building a consistent fitness habit is something that will help with all those goals. One of the best ways to do that is finding something at the gym you genuinely enjoy doing. That can be working out with a friend to add a social aspect to exercise and accountability to show up. It can entail learning a new fitness-adjacent skill such as boxing or training for a competition like Hyrox. It can be rooted in the sense of accomplishment that comes with getting stronger. Whatever the reason, finding the joy in exercise is going to be key if you want to move beyond short-term motivation.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.
iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.
“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”
When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.
“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”
Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.
“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.
To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.
To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?
Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.
Share your experience
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