Most people know it is important to warm up some prior to exercising but many parts of the body are overlooked during this process. It is important to do a full body warm up prior to exercising. While you should target the muscles you will be working that day you need to stretch your whole body. This is important because you need to stabilize your body with “secondary” muscles and joints. Here are ways to warm up and stretch your body effectively.

1. Start to warm up very slowly but fully. “Lubricate” your joint by moving them slowly in their physiological positions. This allows the fluids in your joins to coat the bone structures and protect them when you are working out.
2. Make sure to be relaxed and easy when stretching because their is no point in hyper extending or “pushing” your joints while warming up. This is a time to improve your health not hurt your body. Warming up helps your joints move more freely and prevent injury.
3. Stretch the large muscle groups like the back, arms, legs and chest. This will help to loosen the muscles and release chemicals and neurotransmitters throughout the body to improve your workout performance.
4. Then begin workout lightly and then continue into the usual intensity. Use your first 2 exercises as warm up time. Don’t count that as part of your fitness routine just use it to warm up and improve your fitness.
5. Start your exercise routine with a light weight or jog to continue the warmup before stepping up your program to its usual intensity. As a certified personal trainer and primary care provider I usually instruct my clients to use the first one or two sets of exercises as additional warming up time, and not to count it as part of their fitness routine. This actually can help you build more muscle and improve your fitness level.