How should I warm up before exercise?

Warm up

It is important to warm up your muscles before you exercise in order to reduce the risk of injury. Warming up prepares your body for exercise by increasing blood flow around your body. This means that your muscles will be able to move more easily.

Warm ups should involve gentle activity that increases your heart rate, and makes you feel slightly warmer than usual. Make sure that you are warming up the muscles that you will be using during your work out. For example, if you are a runner, pay particular attention to your leg muscles. If you lift weights, focus on your arms, shoulders, and upper body.

You may find the following warm up tips useful:

• Skip gently for 1-5 minutes - skipping is a great way to warm up because when you skip, you use lots of different muscle groups.

• Go for a gentle walk or jog - gentle walking or jogging are great ways to warm up your muscles and prepare your body for further, more rigorous exercise. Walking, or jogging, with friends can help you to stay motivated, and it can be a great way to socialize.

• Do some gentle muscle stretches - after you have warmed up your muscles, doing some gentle stretching can be very useful, particularly if you are going to do a high speed, or intensive, work out.

You should hold stretches for at least 30 seconds, as long as this feels comfortable for you. However, start by holding stretches for just five seconds, and progress as your body gets more used to exercise. Avoid bouncing as you stretch because this may cause an injury.

If you are unsure about how to stretch correctly, join a sports club, or visit your local gym for advice.

Cool down

As well as warming up before exercise, you should also make sure that you cool down after your exercise session. Stretch your muscles, and gently walk, or jog.

If your main workout involved running, afterwards it is a good idea to run at a slower pace, as part of your cool down. This will help break down any waste material that has accumulated in your leg muscles, and prevent your legs from later becoming sore, or stiff.