Exercise Safety Tips

Your goal is to enhance your health and improve your ability to perform everyday tasks, so you don’t want to hurt yourself while you exercise. Here are some simple safety guidelines:

1. WARM-UP

Even before stretching, you need to warm up. Prepare your body for the exercises by increasing your heart rate and blood circulation and loosening up the muscles you’ll use. Warm up for a few minutes by running in place and breathing deeply, or by slowly rehearsing the motions of your exercise. You can do some stretches or begin your exercise. When you begin, go slowly and gradually build up duration, speed and intensity. If you feel discomfort, slow down or stop until you’re ready to try again.

2. DRESS APPROPRIATELY

Wear comfortable clothing and properly fitted footwear appropriate for the weather and activity. In warm weather outdoors, wear a hat to protect your face from the sun. Avoid clothes that don’t allow heat exchange, such as windbreakers or other waterproof material. In cold weather, dress in layers, so you can remove one layer at a time as your body temperature rises. When you’re outdoors at night, wear reflective clothing to be visible to passing vehicles.

3. DRINK LIQUIDS

It’s important to drink enough liquids especially when exercising in hot weather to prevent yourself from getting dehydrated. Feeling nauseated or lethargic are possible signs of dehydration. When you ignore these signs, your body may go into heat exhaustion or heat stroke, neither of which are much fun. Water is the best drink to replenish your body fluids. Sport drinks and sodas often contain too much sugar, and drinking caffeine before you exercise can raise your blood pressure and be dehydrating. If you’re exercising in warm weather, drink more liquid than your thirst seems to require. Drink one cup of water 10 to 15 minutes before you exercise, and one cup of water every half hour during the activity and after you cool down.

4. COOL DOWN

Cooling down is as important as warming up. It allows your heart to slow gradually, your body temperature to go down and gives your muscles a chance to relax and stretch. Gradually cool down by walking or decreasing the pace of your exercise about 10 minutes before you stop. You’re cooled down when your skin is dry and cool to the touch. Don’t cool down by standing in a cold shower or guzzling ice-cold drinks.

Improve Your Fitness with Aerobic Exercise

Want to burn more calories? Improve the fitness of your heart and lungs? Work more efficiently? Get more energy? These are all good reasons for choosing an aerobic exercise program. An aerobic exercise is an activity that is sustained by oxygen, and the pace is brisk and consistent. Aerobic exercises include brisk walking, running in place, stationary cycling, jogging, uphill hiking, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, swimming, biking, jumping rope, roller skating, and many others.

By doing aerobic exercises, you train your body to maintain energy at a level of high physical activity. Your muscles, heart and lungs adapt and begin to use oxygen more efficiently. That’s why athletes have low heart rates. As result of the improved efficiency, you have more energy for your daily tasks.

Before beginning an aerobic exercise program, you should talk to your doctor or health care provider. This is especially important if you have not exercised in a long time or have a medical condition. Your doctor or personal health care provider can work with you to develop an exercise program that is safe and most beneficial for you.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO WORK OUT?

To improve fitness, the American Heart Association recommends that aerobic activities be done three to four times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. The American Heart Association provides the following guidelines for your aerobic exercises.

WORKING WITHIN YOUR TARGET HEART RATE

You probably have heard that you need to work at your target heart rate to improve your fitness. But what do the numbers mean? How important is it to elevate your heart rate to within that range?

The numbers measure exercise intensity, or how hard you should be working at a given exercise. This approach requires measuring your pulse periodically as you exercise and staying within 50 to 75 percent of you maximum heart rate. This range is called your target heart rate. You can use target heart rate to measure your initial fitness level and to pace yourself in your exercise program. Pacing yourself ensures that you won’t tire too quickly and still receive the benefits of being physically active. Pacing is especially important if you have been inactive.

Health care professionals often use your target heart rates to monitor your progress.

* * * It is very important to set up your activity program with the consultation of your doctor and a fitness professional. Your progress needs to be well monitored to assure your safety, prevent injury, and reach your goals efficiently.* * *

FIGURING OUT YOUR TARGET HEART RATE

Target Heart Rate for Different Age Categories

You also can figure out your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. The figures above are averages and should be used as general guidelines.

Note: A few high blood pressure medications lower the maximum heart rate and thus the target zone rate. If you are taking high blood pressure medicine, call your physician or health care provider to find out if your program needs to be adjusted.

HOW TO TAKE YOUR PULSE

To check if you are working within your target heart range, you need to take your pulse. You can measure your pulse by placing the tips of your middle three fingers at your wrist below the base of your thumb. Count the number of beats you feel in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by 4 to find out how fast your heart is beating in 1 minute. Take your pulse during the middle of your exercise to check whether you’re working within your target heart range. Take your pulse when you are at rest to compare the difference.

WHAT IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO TARGET HEART RATES?

Some people are unable to measure their pulse, or do not want to take their pulse when exercising. Another alternative is to use a "conversational pace" to monitor your efforts. If you can talk comfortably and perform the exercise at the same time, you are probably not working too hard. If you can sing and maintain your level of effort, you may not be working hard enough. If you get out of breath quickly, you’re probably working too hard—especially if you actually have to slow down or stop to catch your breath.

Be careful! Pain, injuries, and health problems may not be noticeable during your work out but appear afterward. So adequate monitoring is essential.

HOW SHOULD I PACE MYSELF?

When beginning an exercise program, aim at the lowest part of your target zone (50 percent) during the first few weeks. Gradually build up to the higher part of your target zone (75 percent). After six months or more of regular exercise, you might be able to exercise comfortably up to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, if you wish—but you do not need to exercise that hard to stay in condition.

In fact, new research indicates that even low-intensity exercise—as simple as frequent walks—gives significant health benefits without much risk. Don’t let monitoring your target heart rate become a burden. Use your target heart rate as a rough guide. The goal is to keep moving!