We've all felt it before. You wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and notice your joints feel stiff. This usually goes away as your muscles and tendons have a chance to stretch out and warm up. For some people though, this stiffness is more persistent. If you're one of them, here are 3 things you can do to ease the discomfort. One: get treated. If you're plagued by stiff joints it's usually a sign of an underlying condition like bursitis, arthritis, or fibromyalgia-which cause swelling, making it harder to move. Getting properly diagnosed and put on the right medication can help prevent future flare-ups.Two: step on a scale. Being overweight puts enormous pressure on your joints. For example, an 10 extra pounds means your knee joints have to withstand an additional 30 to 60 pounds of force while walking, which lead to stiffness. LOSING a few extra pounds can significantly REDUCE the stress on joints. And THREE:...REMAIN ACTIVE. Just 30 minutes of exercise a few days a week can improve your range of motion, AND help keep the muscles surrounding a joint strong and supportive. If your joint stiffness is paired with pain, try to stick with low-impact activities like biking, swimming, and stretching. To learn more about conditions that cause joint stiffness watch more videos in this series.