What can I do to prevent injury or health problems when being physically active?

Warm up before you start. Jumping right into physical activity with cold muscles can cause injury and muscle strain. By adding five to ten minutes to your activity routine, you give your muscles a chance to warm-up and you may prevent these problems. Choose a type of warm up suited to the activity you are about to do. If you are about to walk, warm up by taking a slow walk. If you are going to swim, warm-up by swimming slowly.

Cool down. After being physically active, spend five minutes or so walking or moving around slowly until your heart rate goes back to normal. Cooling down helps to prevent an abrupt drop in blood pressure and may help prevent muscle stiffness.

Stretch after your muscles are warmed up. Think of your muscles as being like Play-Doh when you first take it out of the can. If you try to stretch while it is cold, it will break. Once you work the Play-Doh with your hands, it warms up and it is easy to stretch.

When stretching, don't bounce. Instead, hold each stretch comfortably for 20-30 seconds.

Make sure you get enough fluids. Making sure your body has enough fluids is important to keeping your body temperature normal and lubricate your joints. When dehydrated, you may feel fatigued, have headaches, become nauseated, or feel dizzy. The easiest way to tell if you are drinking enough fluid is by looking at the color of your urine. If it is gold or deep yellow, you need to drink more. It is a good idea to drink before and after physical activity, and after every 15 minutes of activity.

Be sure to breathe correctly. Some people don't breathe correctly while they are being physically active. Rapid and shallow breathing can lead to shortness of breath and even cause dizziness or fainting. By breathing naturally and deeply, you will be able to be physically active longer and with less effort. During strength training, a common mistake people often make is holding their breath. Don't hold your breath, but exhale when exerting your muscles and inhale when relaxing.

Listen to your body for warning signs. Below is a list of your body's normal responses to physical activity and abnormal responses that should be warning signs to STOP and get medical help.

Normal	Abnormal - Warning signs to STOP
Faster heartbeat	Chest-pain, pain down your arm, heaviness in your chest
A few skipped heart beats	Continual pounding, fluttering, or uneven heartbeats
Faster breathing	Extreme breathlessness that keeps you from carrying on a conversation during activity
More sweating	Sweating profusely or feeling "clammy"
Some temporary muscle stiffness	Sudden muscle pain

Source: Be Active For Life Handbook, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP

Watch out for signs of heat stroke. These include feeling dizzy, weak, light-headed, or excessively tired; sweating stops; or body temperature becomes dangerously high.

Take extra precautions on hot and humid days. Be active during cooler parts of the day, like early morning or late in the day once the sun has gone down. Exercise less than you would on normal days until your body becomes used to the heat. Drink lots of fluids.

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