Start in a half-kneeling position. One knee on the floor and your other foot firmly planted in front of you.
Keep your chest tall and shoulders above the hips. Gently tuck your pelvis to prevent your lower back from arching.
Move into the Stretch. Slowly shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip with the knee on the ground. It’s ok to feel the stretch in the middle of the thigh of the knee that is down as well, that’s stretching your rectus femoris a hip flexor muscle that runners down the hip and through the knee.
Don’t arch your back. If you do not feel the stretch it’s ok to slowly walk your front foot forward, but keep your body aligned in a straing line (shoulders over hips).
Hold and breathe. Maintain the stretch for 20 - 30 seconds and focus on taking big deep breaths in, through the nose and out through the mouth, then switch sides and repeat twice.

Bonus Tips: If being on one knee if uncomfortable you can use a foam pad to reduce stress on the knee. Here’s my favorite knee support pads and if you need more support or thicker foam pad Here is the one I use at th gym.

2. Deep hip Stretch — Stretch your Piriformis

This stretch focuses on the muscle behind your hip joint to help relieve tension around the SI joint. When the piriformis is tight or irritated it can cause issues to the back and down the leg.

How to do it:

Sit down on a firm surface. Use a chair that does not roll and allows you to keep your feet flat on the ground.
Put your left ankle on your right knee. This will form a "figure four" between your legs
Keep your back straight. Slowly lean forward until you feel a slight stretch on the deep hip of the leg that is up.
Hold and breathe. Maintain the stretch for 20 - 30 seconds and focus on taking big deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, then switch sides and repeat twice.

Bonus Tip: If this stretch is to agressive and hard to do you can also do it lying down, which I show here.

3.Yoga Ball Torso Twist — Stretch your core and lower back

This stretch helps to gently stretch your core and relieve tightness on your lower back. Lower back pain can be caused by stiff hips, core, and/or lower back.

So this stretch is phenomenal at releasing tension and tightness.

How to do it:

The set up. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended out to the sides for support. Bend your knees to about 90 degrees and place both feet on top of a stability (yoga) ball.
Engage your core. Press your lower back gently into the floor and keep your shoulders relaxed and in contact with the ground. Tighten your abs and press your calves into the ball to keep it from rolling away.
Rotate your knees from side to side. Keeping your knees bent and feet on the ball, slowly roll the ball to one side by lowering your knees toward the floor.Only go as far as you can while keeping both shoulders and your upper back flat on the ground.
Return and repeat. Using your core, pull your knees back to the center line to bring the ball and knees back to the middle and then let the ball drop to the other side. Do not let the knees drop slowly control the the knees moving towards the ground and then back to the other side.

Bonus Tip: The larger the yoga ball and the close it is to you the easier the movement will be.

So challenge yourself by using a small yoga ball once you get used to the movement.

Here’s the yoga ball I recommend becuase it has grooves for better grip. But choose what works best for you

4. Lying Overhead Reach

This helps to gently stretch your core and relieve tightness on your lower back. Lower back pain can be caused by tightless on the hips, core, or lower back.

How to do it:

Lie flat on your back. Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your lower back relaxed and your head supported comfortably.
Reach overhead. Extend both arms straight up toward the ceiling, then slowly reach them overhead toward the floor behind you keeping your elbows by your ears.
Finger tips together. Continue reaching as far as you comfortably can while keeping your ribs down without arhing your lower back and try to touch your finger tips together. You should feel a gentle stretch through your shoulders, chest, and upper back.
Hold and breathe. Hold the position for 2–3 seconds, then slowly return your arms to the starting position while breathing steadily throughout the movement.

Bonus Tip: You can use a roll to help support your head or neck during the movement they are super comfortable and great for helping you stay aligned. Check it out here.

My Expert Take

Less stiffness is key to feeling better and healthier in your day to day.

It helps you play with your kids/ grandkids and go about your day without worrying about your next wrong move.

The goal is to get loosen up tight, stiff, and constantly fatigued muscle in your day to day… such as the:

Hip flexors
Lower back
Core
Chest
Lats

Because when these muscles get tight they can cause problems somewhere else.

The good news is you can always loosen up stiff hips, core, chest, or back as long as you hold each stretch for 10 s to start and then work your way up to 30-45s holds.

But the key is to do these 4 stretches daily.

However, the beauty of it is that you can do these stretches early in the morning, after work, in bed, or while you are watching TV.

It doesn’t matter if you are tired from work, fatigued from medication, or trying to relax they can easily be fit into your day.

So set a time in your day when you can get a couple of these stretches done.

Now if you are new to exercise and you aren’t sure how to get started, check out this article.

Learn More How To Improve Your Health & Fitness