Whether you are a seasoned athlete, just getting started, or you just like to workout out once in a while, there are certain things you need to do both before and after your workout. Just getting out there and running for it isn’t the right way to go.

Fitness is great for your body, and for your heart health, but doing things wrong can cause injuries that keep you off the field or court and may even require surgery. Why risk it when you can be better prepared not to get injured?

Warm Up

Not only should you start out your routine with a warm up, but that warm up should also include some stretching. If you are heading out for a jog make sure that you stretch your leg muscles well to help loosen them up.

Your warm up routine should be a slow progression that not only warms up your muscles, but also helps raise your heartrate at a more even and easy pace.

Cool Down

Just like warming up, you want to ease back into a relaxed state after your routine. Your cool down will somewhat resemble your warm up, just opposite.

If you’ve been running don’t just stop running. Instead, slow down to a jog first, then a walk. When your heart rate and breathing come back to normal you are good to go. Although, you should do some more stretches now to make sure that your muscles don’t tighten up.

Get A Massage

Your final step, which isn’t just a luxury contrary to some beliefs, is to get an awesome sports massage. Sports massage should be a regular part of your routine, and your therapist can suggest how often you schedule a massage, depending on how often you workout or play sports.

According to Zen Massage, getting sports massage not only helps you heal faster, but it also allows you to get back into the game sooner. Don’t wait until an injury gets you down though, enjoy the benefits of massage even when you’re feeling great.

Now that you know what you need to do to in order to keep your muscles happy when you are busy playing sports and working out, you can have more fun on the court or field and get out there more.

If you’ve ever suffered from a sports or fitness related injury you know that it can really mess things up. Why not take just a few easy precautions to lessen your chances of getting hurt?

An injury can have you off your feet, or at least off the field. A bad injury could put you on crutches or in a wheelchair and keep your from your favorite sport or your fitness routine permanently.