12 Ways you can prevent injuries.

STARTING UP

1. Stretch. Stretching may not directly reduce injury. But it makes exercise more tolerable and less painful by increasing your range of motion. Besides, stretching feels good. Use a slow, sustained stretch for each muscle group you're working. Hold for a count of 30. Try to stretch before the exercise and definitely after.

2. Warm up, cool down. Warm muscles are more pliant and less prone to tear. Five minutes of warm-up at a fairly easy intensity should be adequate. Do a little more in the morning or on cold days. After a workout, walk or continue your activity at a low intensity until your heart rate drops to 10 to 15 beats per minute above your resting rate. Never stop exercising suddenly-doing so can trigger a potentially dangerous drop in pressure.

3. Progress gradually. "Our bodies really are remarkable at adapting if we give them the opportunity," says Russell Pate, Ph.D., past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "But when we impose too much activity and physical stress too soon, we can easily exceed our capacity to adapt." To progress safely, increase workout duration, intensity, or distance by no more than 10 percent per week; if you've taken a break from exercising, restart at 50 to 75 percent of your previous level.

WHEN YOU'RE IN THE ZONE

4. Use exercise as prevention. You have to train to train:' Pate says. That means using exercise to prepare your body for a new or harder activity, or a return to a sport you haven't done in a while. Get ready for a ski trip with, say, jogging, weight training, and stretching.

5. Stay hydrated ... Drinking plenty of liquids-especially in hot, humid weather- will prevent cramps, weakness, and dehydration. Sports-medicine experts recommend 2 to 3 cups two to three hours before you exercise and smaller amounts during the workout. Also plan to weigh yourself before and after vigorous activity to gauge fluid loss. Replace any weight you've lost with an equal amount of liquid, plus half.