Things To Do Before Starting An Exercise Program

I am doing a series of blogs on preventing injuries. When I first started running I suffered a few  injuries. I was trying to do too much, too soon. I needed to ease into it. Before starting an exercise program you should:

• See your doctor: Especially if you have an injury or illness, are pregnant, on any medications or if you are a senior, getting a clean bill of health and advice for what to avoid can help keep you injury free.
• Start with no or low impact cardio: I started out by walking, I finally hit a wall and could not lose anymore weight, so I started running.
• Keep it slow: start with a 10-20 minute workout (or whatever you can handle) at a moderate intensity level.
• Ease into Weights: Start with a basic total body program, alot of clubs and gyms have personal trainers that can help you design a program.
• Rest: Your muscles need rest. Take a day off especially if you feel very sore or fatigued.
• Add intensity gradually: Once you can do cardio for 30 minutes at a time, add intensity or try different workouts, such as interval training.

What advice do you have to prevent injuries?