​Exercise safety tips to always consider prior to starting exercise

• Always wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and appropriate shoes for your activity

• Warm up: Perform a low- to moderate-intensity warm-up for 5-10 minutes

• Drink water before, during, and after your exercise session

• When exercising outdoors, evaluate your surroundings for safety: traffic, pavement, weather, and strangers

• Wear clothes made of fabrics that absorb sweat and remove it from your skin

• Never wear rubber or plastic suits. These could hold the sweat on your skin and make your body overheat

• Wear sunscreen when you exercise outdoors

• Practice safe distancing (try to remain 1 meter or 6 feet apart from others) to prevent the transfer of infections. A mask is preferable, but you do not need to wear a mask if you are sweating and having difficulty breathing while exercising

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​Exercise safety tips for when to STOP exercising

Stop exercising right away if you:

• Have pain or pressure in your chest, neck, shoulder, or arm

• Feel dizzy or sick

• Break out in a cold sweat

• Have muscle cramps

• Feel acute (not just achy) pain in your joints, feet, ankles, or legs

• Slow down if you have trouble breathing. You should be able to talk while exercising without gasping for breath

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​Exercise safety tips to recognize days/times when exercise SHOULD NOT be initiated

• Avoid hard exercise for 2 hours after a big meal (A leisurely walk around the block would be fine)

• DO NOT exercise when you have a fever and/or viral infection accompanied by muscle aches

• DO NOT exercise if your systolic blood pressure is greater than 200 and your diastolic is greater than 100

• DO NOT exercise is your resting heart rate is greater than 120

• DO NOT exercise if you have a joint that you are using to exercise (such as a knee or an ankle) that is red and warm and painful

• If you have osteoporosis, always avoid stretches that flex your spine or cause you to bend at the waist, and avoid making jerky, rapid movements

• STOP exercising is you experience severe pain or swelling in a joint. Discomfort that persists should always be evaluated by a health professional

• DO NOT exercise if you have a new symptom that has not been evaluated by your health care provider, such as pain in your chest, abdomen, or a joint; swelling in an arm, leg or joint; difficulty catching your breath at rest; or a fluttering feeling in your chest

Additional safety information is provided at the National Institute of Health.

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PDF of Safety Tips available HERE.