Do you sit most of the day? Between eating, commuting, working, watching your kids play sports and lounging in front of the TV, sitting all day can wreak havoc on our bodies.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns: obesity and a cluster of other conditions like increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels…just to name a few.

Some studies have even shown that those who spend the majority of their day planted on their keister live, on average, two years less than those who stand for most of their day.

You’ve probably experienced that moment when you get up from sitting and your hips feel so tight you can’t stand up straight, your butt feels numb and you have to lean forward like you just got off a horse just to walk a few steps.

It’s no surprise that excessive sitting results in tight hips and inactive glutes which not only hamper daily movements, but also performance. As an athlete, if you want to perform your best, it’s important to ensure your hips stay limber and your glute muscles are ready to fire on all cylinders when you need them to.

Even if you’re not interested in snatching (though I hope you change your mind on that someday), keeping your hips in a healthy range of motion can help to prevent injury in your day to day activities. So, whether you’re a weekend warrior, do CrossFit on the regular or love Olympic Lifting, taking care of your hips, IT band and glutes can help you improve posture, prevent back pain and give you the mobility to show off some mean moves on the dance floor.

Read >> Mobility for CrossFit: Why You Need to Do It

Prevention is going to be your best remedy. Simply put: Sit less. Move more.

If you’ve done yoga, you’re familiar with the pigeon pose. Try this stretch with the front leg propped up on a table which makes it easier to perform in your office.

Most of you know this stretch is extremely humbling. You don’t necessarily need a couch for this stretch – simply place the knee of the leg you’re going to stretch against the back of your couch or wall and put the other foot on the floor. Raise your torso upright to a neutral spine position. Squeeze your abdominals and glutes while you’re there to really feel the stretch in your hip flexor area.

Listen to your body. If you’re really tight, you might need to ease up on the stretch or hang out a little longer to let your body relax into it. As physical therapist Kelly Starrett says,

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