ELIMINATING EXCUSES | fitness

This week’s theme is the importance of warming up before exercising.

Here’s an example of a warm-up routine you can use before exercising. Your warm-up should focus on the specific muscles that you’ll be working during your workout. Regardless of my workout, I prefer to do a full body stretch as my warm-up with extra focus on the muscles that I will be hitting during my workout. This way I am covered for my workout and other muscles are ready to go too in case I decide to change up my workout during the routine. I also like to break a sweat by doing a few minutes of jumping jacks, jumping rope or shadow boxing.

A few things to keep in mind:
- you should feel light tension when you stretch
- hold the stretch for 10 - 15 seconds and repeat the stretch 2 - 3 times and aim for at least 15 minutes for your warm-up. If you feel any pain or discomfort, stop stretching and see your trusted health professional (doctor, nurse, etc.)
- slow movements are better than fast, jerking movements since slow motion is less likely to lead to an injury.
- feel free to incorporate push-ups and/or crunches into your warm-up routine
- get your heart rate up to about 50% of your max rate. Doing so well help your muscles get ready for a solid workout.
- stay hydrated.

Excuses? Never heard of ‘em. DO SOMETHIN’!

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