The Safe Way to Exercise
Exercise helps you:
- Stay healthy
- Improve your body movement
- Increase your flexibility and strength
- Control your weight
- Feel better about yourself
- Sleep better
Talk to your doctor before starting new exercises.
Your doctor will check your:
- General health
- Medications
- The way you move
- Talk to your doctor about:
- Which exercises are best for you
- How to stay safe when exercising
Warm up before you exercise.
Warming up helps:
- Loosen your muscles
- Prevent injuries
- Run in place for a few minutes
- Breathe slowly and deeply
- Practice the motions of the exercises you plan to do.
Stretch after you warm up.
Examples of stretches are:
- Moving your arms towards your toes
- Reaching towards the sky
- Stop if the stretches hurt
- Take your time.
Drink plenty of water.
- When we exercise, we loose a lot of water
- Drink water often when you exercise
- Drink water even before you get thirsty
- Water keeps you from overheating
Take frequent rest breaks when you exercise.
Taking a break will keep you from getting sick or injured.
Stop and tell someone if:
- You feel sick to your stomach
- You feel dizzy
- You feel a pain in your chest
- You feel like you cannot breath very well
Cool down and stretch after you exercise.
- Slow down your exercise movements until you cool down
- Repeat the stretches you did before you started exercising
- Cooling down and stretching will help your muscles feel good
Be careful when you exercise.
- Exercise is good for you and will help you stay healthy
- Anyone can get hurt while exercising
- The next slides show what to do if you get hurt while exercising.
If you strain or pull a muscle:
- Your muscle will feel sore or will hurt
- Put an ice bag on the muscle
- Keep it on for 15 minutes every hour
- Put a towel between the ice and your skin
- You should rest
- Call a doctor if it keeps hurting
If you get a cut or scrape:
- Clean it with soap and warm water
- Put on a bandage
- Call a doctor if it keeps hurting
- Rest before exercising more
If you fall and hurt yourself:
- Tell someone how you feel
- Did you break a bone?
- Did you bump or hurt your head?
- Do you need first aid?
- Do you need emergency care?
- If you need emergency care, call 9-1-1
Review the “Exercise Safety Checklist.”
The checklist will remind you about:
- What to do before you exercise
- What to do if you are hurt or tired while you exercise
- What to do after you exercise
You can learn more safe ways to exercise.
You can learn more about what to do if you get hurt.