Warming up: the habit that saves you a lot of grief

Skipping the warm-up to save time is the best way to lose a lot of it later. A cold muscle is stiff and injures more easily. Warming up eases the body into effort, like letting an engine heat up before driving.

What it actually looks like

Start with a few minutes of light movement to lift your heart rate: brisk walking, a very slow jog, easy knee raises. Then add movements that mobilise the joints you're about to use, without forcing anything.

The idea is to move from calm toward intensity, not the other way round. Your body should feel a little warm and loose before you speed up or lift anything. This is general, cautious advice: if you feel pain or have a medical doubt, see a professional.

And after the effort?

Don't stop dead either. A few minutes of cooling down, slowing gradually, help your body come back down. Rest and sleep do the rest of the recovery work, often far more than any stretch.