Warm Up to Keep Your Game Up

Don't rush into any sport or exercise without warming up first — muscles that haven't been properly prepared tend to be injured more easily.  Start out with some light cardiovascular activities, such as easy jogging, jumping jacks, or brisk walking, just to get your muscles going.  Follow your brief warm-up with some stretches. (Stretching works best after a warm-up because your tissues are more elastic [flexible] due to the increase in heat and blood flow to the muscles.)