You Can Become More Flexible By Doing These Exercises At Home

If you don't give flexibility exercises much attention in your usual workout routine (I get it, you want to build muscle and break a sweat!), hear me out: Though it may not sound as exciting as a six-pack, flexibility is key to feeling mobile, agile, and strong in our bodies.

Stretching—especially when paired with deep breathing, like in yoga—promotes both greater range of motion (your joints' abilities to move to their fullest potential) and extensibility (how well your muscles and connective tissues allow those joints to move). Plus, yes, it also strengthens your muscles.

As such, I've put together the following list of stretches, yoga poses, and movements so that you can build a daily flexibility and mobility routine that will loosen you up (both body and mind).

The key here: Make sure you warm up a bit before jumping in. Just a few minutes of movement—like jumping jacks, high knees, and butt kicks—will get your blood flowing and your muscles ready to move, so you can stretch deeply and reap the most benefits from every exercise. I guarantee you'll feel stronger, more relaxed, and more grounded by the time you finish.

Time: 10-20 minutes

Equipment: none

Good for: full-body flexibility and mobility

Instructions: Choose five to 10 flexibility exercises to focus on. Complete each exercise, pose, or stretch for the indicated amount of time, then immediately move on to the next. Once you've finished all of the moves, repeat each a second time. For maximum bendy results, incorporate some variation of this routine every day.