Do this routine every morning to quickly reduce stiffness and increase mobility.

At 25, I'm often amazed at how stiff I feel when I wake up. My joints feel rigid and my lower back is so stiff that if I don't do something about it, I can barely move like someone who is 70 and hasn't worked out in years.

Strength, conditioning, and mobility coach Kate Whapples explains that it's actually quite common to wake up feeling stiff. She says that while you sleep, your body produces anti-inflammatory proteins in different amounts between the day and the night. When you first wake up, these proteins are at their lowest, but as your body's biological clock starts to kick in, movement becomes easier and less painful.

However, if you sleep in a suboptimal position such as lying flat on your belly with a twisted spine, or if you sleep in a cold room, you may experience more stiffness than usual. This is also true if you sit in the same position all day long.

Lower back pain is often a sign of general stiffness in the morning, and it's not necessarily caused by back problems themselves. Kate emphasizes the importance of stretching tight hamstrings, hip flexors, piriformis, and quads to reduce lower back stiffness. She recommends a five-minute stretching routine when you wake up, taking care to breathe and relax without pushing yourself too hard first thing in the morning.

Kate suggests a sequence of poses that should be held for 30 seconds on each side and repeated three times. This includes pigeon pose, crucifix pose, figure four piriformis stretch, lizard lunge, and downward dog.

If you find yourself struggling with morning stiffness, following this routine can help you feel more flexible and less pain in your joints.

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