Pilates
Evening Pilates for restless legs: a 20-minute leg stretch and wind-down class
Restless legs usually come on when you rest in the evening, and moving and stretching your legs eases them. This gentle class is for the early evening, a couple of hours before bed: a short walk to start, standing calf and thigh stretches, slow leg circles and side kicks on the mat, then a minute of slow breathing. It has no long lying still at the end; if your legs start to feel restless at any point, get up and walk. It isn't a treatment for restless legs syndrome: ask your GP to check your iron and your medicines. Do harder exercise earlier in the day. No trial has tested this class: its order and doses are our editorial choice, based on the NHS's advice to walk and stretch your legs, RLS-UK's daily stretching and small stretching trials.
Walk and wake up the legs (about 4 minutes)
- Standing march2 minBeginner · Hip flexors, Abs, Glutes · 3D demoOr walk around the room; swing your armsEasier: Seated marchHarder: Standing band hip flexion
- Beginner · Calves · 3D demoHands on a counter; up for 2, down for 3Easier: Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Harder: Standing dumbbell calf raise
Standing stretches (about 5 minutes)
- Wall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)30 s each legBeginner · Calves · 3D demoBack knee straight, heel downEasier: Seated calf stretch with a towelHarder: Heel-on-step calf and hamstring stretch
- Soleus wall stretch30 s each legBeginner · Calves · 3D demoBack knee bent, heel downEasier: Seated calf stretch with a towelHarder: Toes-tucked kneeling (toe squat)
- Standing quad stretch30 s each legBeginner · Quads, Hip flexors · 3D demoA hand on the wall; hold your ankle or your trouser legEasier: Side-lying quad stretch with a strapHarder: Couch stretch
On your back (about 5 minutes)
- Supine hamstring stretch with a strap30 s each legBeginner · Hamstrings, Calves · 3D demoA strap or towel round your foot; the other knee bentEasier: Leg-up hamstring stretchHarder: Contract-relax hamstring stretch (PNF)
- Single-leg circle (Pilates one leg circle)5 each direction, each legBeginner · Abs, Hip flexors, Adductors · 3D demoSmall, slow circles; the other knee bent, foot downHarder: Corkscrew (Pilates)
- Ankle circles10 each way, each footBeginner · Calves, Shins · 3D demoSlow circles, then point and flex your feetHarder: Ankle CARs (controlled articular rotations)
- Beginner · Glutes · 3D demoHold behind the thigh; never press on the crossed kneeHarder: Pigeon preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)
On your side (about 4 minutes)
- Side kick (Pilates side kick series)8 each sideBeginner · Hip flexors, Glutes, Hip abductors · 3D demoGlide the top leg forward and back, slowlyHarder: Side-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)
- Side-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)8 each direction, each sideBeginner · Hip abductors, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoSmall circles from the hipEasier: Side kick (Pilates side kick series)Harder: Kneeling side kick (Pilates side kick kneeling)
Slow down, without lying still (about 2 minutes)
- Hip windshield wipers10 slow passesBeginner · Glutes, Adductors · 3D demoKnees bent, feet wide; let the knees fall slowly side to sideEasier: Supine heel slideHarder: 90/90 switch
- Beginner · 3D demoSitting up or lying with your knees bent: breathe in for about 4, out for about 6. If your legs start to feel restless, get up and walkEasier: Breath reachHarder: Crocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)
Tips
- Do this in the early evening, not straight before bed, and keep harder exercise for the morning or afternoon (our suggestion, from the NHS's advice not to do strenuous exercise late at night).
- If your legs feel restless at any point, stand up and walk, then carry on, as the NHS suggests for symptoms.
- Give regular exercise about 6 weeks: in the one exercise trial, symptoms had eased by then.
- Ask your GP about a blood test for iron, and don't take iron supplements without advice.
- In later pregnancy, prop your upper body up for the lying moves or do them on your side.
- No caffeine after midday, and no alcohol in the 2 hours before bed, as the NHS advises.
The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.
Guides that recommend it
Find more moves like these
More pilates
Beginner Pilates workout
A 20-minute mat Pilates workout for complete beginners. It covers breathing, spine position and the foundation moves, each with an easier option.
20 minBeginner13 movesNo equipment
10-minute Pilates abs
Ten minutes of the classic Pilates abdominal series: the hundred, the roll-up and the series of five, with a plank to finish.
10 minIntermediate11 movesNo equipmentFull-body mat Pilates workout
A 30-minute intermediate mat Pilates class that follows the classical order, from the hundred to the push-up, with prep versions of the hardest moves.
30 minIntermediate22 movesNo equipmentQuestions people ask
How long does the evening pilates for restless legs: a 20-minute leg stretch and wind-down class take?
About 20 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.
What equipment do I need?
You need: A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.
Is it suitable for beginners?
It is written for beginners. 9 of its 14 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.
How do I make it easier or harder?
Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.