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Exercise Do's and Don'ts

Do Warm Up Before Exercising
Do an aerobic warm up like stationary cycling, treadmill, etc. for five to ten minutes to warm up your muscles and get the blood flowing.

Don't Do Slow, Static Stretching Before Your Exercise
This type of stretching relaxes your muscles and could lead to injury and/or poor performance.

Do Hydrate Yourself During Exercise With Water and/or Sports Drinks.
When exercising, the body needs four to eight ounces of water every 20 minutes to replace water loss.

Don't Drink Caffeine as in Coffee or Sodas and/or Alcohol
Always avoid caffeine or alcohol when exercising, both of which further dehydrate your body.

Keep Exercise Fun
Don't Use The Treadmill Every Time You Do Cardio. Try the Stairmaster or stationary bike for a change of pace. There is no best exercise. Do something you enjoy!

Do Rhythmic Limbering Movements Between Sets
By flexing and extending your elbow, performing high knees, shoulder rotations in an oval, you will be keeping your muscles loose and limber in between sets.

Don't Stop to Do Slow, Passive Stretches During Exercise
This will only relax your muscles. This could lead to injury and/or poor performance.

Try Doing Your Weight/Resistance Training Before You Do Cardio
Your muscles use carbs primarily for fuel during weight/resistance training. They say if you do this first, your muscles will be more apt to use fat for fuel during cardio exercise.

Don't Over Train
Never train one muscle group on consecutive days. Your muscles need time to recover and grow.

Do Cool Down After You Have Finished Exercising
By cooling down, you will prevent blood pooling in certain muscles, lessen muscle fatigue and soreness, return muscles to their normal resting length by stretching, and much more.

Don't Stop Abruptly When You Are Finished Doing Cardio
Always decrease your intensity and gradually stop.

For more information about the Do's and Don'ts go to About.com and click on exercise, there you should find a wide variety of articles.

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