every exercise session should include a warm-up conditioning phase and a cool-down. warm-up. this helps your body adjust slowly from rest to exercise. a warm-up reduces the stress on your heart and muscles slowly increases your breathing circulation (heart rate) and body temperature. it also helps improve flexibility and reduce muscle soreness. the best warm-up includes stretching range of motion activities and the beginning of the activity at a low intensity level. conditioning. this follows the warm-up. during the conditioning phase the benefits of exercise are gained and calories are burned. be sure to monitor the intensity of the activity (check your heart rate). don't over do it. cool-down. this is the last phase of your exercise session. it allows your body to gradually recover from the conditioning phase. your heart rate and blood pressure will return to near resting values. cool-down does not mean to sit down! in fact do not sit stand still or lie down right after exercise. this may cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded or have heart palpitations (fluttering in your chest). the best cool-down is to slowly decrease the intensity of your activity. you may also do some of the same stretching activities you did in the warm-up phase.
what should i include in an exercise program?