Warm-Up and Cool-Down

Warm up and stretch before your exercise. Starting abruptly can leave you breathless and strain unprepared muscles. Take 5 or 10 minutes to walk or jog slowly on a treadmill, or pedal easily on a stationary bike. Then s and stretch all of the muscle groups you're going to use during your workout.

That's right: Stretch after you've broken a sweat, not before. If your muscles are warmed up, they're less likely to tear. Another advantage of warming up is that warm muscles use fat as their source of energy instead of glycogen.

Cooling Down
Whatever type of exercise you're doing, spend the last 5 or 10 minutes doing it slowly. If you s vigorous exercise abruptly, blood will pool in your muscles and take longer to return to your heart. This can leave you light-headed or dizzy.

Pain
Any pain which you are concerned about should be discussed with your physician. Muscle or joint pain is an indication that something is wrong.

Return to Aerobic Exercise Index>>