Warming up before you participate in a physical activity session has many benefits! It helps to increase your heart rate, get blood flowing to your muscles, warm-up your joints, and decrease the chance of an injury.

You can do lots of things to warm-up, like take a slow walk, climb some stairs, march in place, or do a less intense version of your planned physical activity. It's also beneficial to include some light stretches as a part of your warm-up, to loosen up your muscles and joints, and decrease the possibility of getting injured.

Lower Leg Stretch Stand with one foot in front of the other, then slightly bend your front knee, and feel the stretch in the lower part of your rear leg. Be sure not to let your knee bend beyond your toes. You can place your hands on your hips, on your bent knee or reach out in front of you to get a stretch through your shoulders at the same time.

Thigh Stretch If you are a little unstable or unsure about your balance, find something to hang on to for this stretch! Pull one leg up behind you, pulling it as close as you can to your bottom as you can get it, and feel the stretch through the front part of your upper leg.

Hamstring Stretch For this stretch stand with your feet shoulder width apart and slowly bend at the wait to reach for your toes. Be sure to keep your knees slightly bent and feel the stretch through the backs of your legs. Don't worry if you can't reach your toes- everyone has different abilities.

Shoulder Stretch Stretch out your shoulder by pulling one arm straight across your body, holding it with the other. Feel the stretch in the shoulder of your straight arm.

When stretching, try to hold each stretch for 30 seconds and be sure not to bounce while holding the stretches.

People often forget about their cool-down, but it is just as important as a warm-up! Cooling down helps to bring your heart rate and blood pressure back down, prevents blood pooling, and safely brings your body back to a resting state. Cool-down activities are the same intensity as warm-up activities. Including some light stretching can help to reduce stiffness and prevent sore muscles.