3: Flex Your Hips

Although our hips include several different muscles, the hip flexors are the ones that can tighten and cause uspain. The iliacus runs from the femur (upper leg bone) to the hip, while the psoas runs from the femur to the lower back. Like the gluteal muscles, the hip flexors are negatively affected by the sitting that many of us do for eight (or more) hours a day as part of our jobs. This keeps the muscles in a shortened position. But the hip flexors help us bend at the waist and lift our knees -- movements you'll probably find yourself doing at some point in the bedroom. If your hip flexors are tight, you could actually strain them.

Luckily you can loosen your hip flexors through dynamic stretching. These types of exercises move muscles through their range of motion. One such exercise is a simple forward stretch. Kneel on the floor, then place one leg in front with your foot flat on the floor. Lean forward and try to lower your pelvis. You should feel this stretch at the front of your hip. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds before releasing and going to the other side. Try to do this stretch three to four times in a row, making it part of an overall stretching routine prior to exercise.