by Trisha Mcdonald

Created on: July 11, 2008

Warming up your muscles before starting any type of strenuous physical activity is very crucial. Not only do the first few minutes warm up your body, but they also help prevent injuries and increase your ability to burn more calories by raising your heart rate. The main key to preparing your body for a harder workout is to start off easy. There are two steps to performing a good warm-up. The first step is to raise your heart level.

1. A small endurance jog. A few laps around a basketball court or track to get that heart pumping.
2. If you don't like to run you can try a five minute jump rope. Jump roping is a very good way to get all of your muscles relaxed and ready for the next step.
3. Another great activity is jumping jacks. This is an easy but excellent warm-up because it requires full body movements and little space.
4. If neither of those options are entertaining enough for you, you can always try something with a little more variety. All you have to do is hop front to back and side to side thirty seconds each way and then again on one foot. If you don't like repetitive warm-ups this is a good choice for you.

The second part of a good warm-up is a good stretch. A good stretch doesn't
mean bend over and touch your toes and you're good to go. I mean a full body stretch where every muscle is warmed up and ready for activity. Stretching is the number one key to preventing injuries! Here are just a few stretches you can try.

1. Hamstrings: Sit flat on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Keeping your legs straight, reach for your toes. Try this with your toes flexed to the ceiling. Now take a deep breath and point your toes and allow your body to go down further.
2. Calves: Standing straight up, place your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Walk your feet back five or six steps keeping your heels flat on the floor.
3. Shoulders: Sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, put your hands behind you facing the wall behind you and reach as far out as you can, keeping your hands as close as possible.
4. Butt: Lay down flat on your back. Bend one knee to your chest placing your opposite hand on that same bent knee and pull it towards the side trying to keep your hips pressed against the floor.
5. Back: Lying on your stomach put your hands directly by your side with your elbows bent. Now slowly push your arms straight so that you're your chest is raising and your head is pointing towards the ceiling. Tilt your head back slightly as if looking for your feet. If you can, try to bend your knees and touch your head with your toes. Be sure that after you do this, lay on your back tucking your knees into your chest and rock back and forth to let your spine straighten out.

These are just a few warm-up activities and stretches to get you started. How ever you choose to spend the first five minutes is up to you. But remember, that first short warm-up and stretch is very important in order to increase your heart rate and prepare you for a harder injury free workout.

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