Stretching is often the last thing we get around to during workouts, coming in third behind cardio and strength training, despite the importance of flexibility in our overall fitness.

Stretching can take a joint through a full range of motion that may not be achieved in normal daily activities. Proper stretching can help nourish tissues of the joint and maintain optimum muscle-tendon length.

So how can you convince yourself to take the few extra minutes to stretch? Maybe a buddy can help. With two people egging each other on, there's a much better chance that stretching will actually happen.

We asked Pilates instructor and personal trainer Patricia Haft of Creative Fitness to show us some couples stretches. She recruited her husband, Mark Anderson, to stretch with her. Although their height differences are extreme (she is 4-foot-10 and he is 6 feet tall), they show that stretching buddies do not have to be the same height. New stretching partners just need some experimenting and adjustments to get into the appropriate, comfortable positions.

Haft showed us stretches that can be done anywhere, even in small spaces, and require only a stability ball and stretch bands, available at sporting goods stores.

When stretching, Haft recommends using Pilates-style breathing, which is inhaling through the nose to prepare and exhaling through the mouth with exertion. As with any exercise program, talk to your doctor before beginning. Haft can be reached at gour108@yahoo.com or 285-1475.