Warming Up

Step 1 -- Lie down a few minutes, especially if you have been sitting or standing the whole day.

Lie face up, with your knees bent and your hands resting on your tummy, elbows to the side (for about 5 mins).

Step 2 -- Lie on your tummy with forehead resting on your hands, your tummy gently pulled in and your pelvis netural and level.  Start kicking alternate heels up to your bottom, making sure the foot travels all the way back to the floor between kicks and that your pelvis stays still.  As you continue, speed the movement up.  Aim for one to two minutes or count 120 kicks.

Step 3 -- standing up

a)  Take your ear towards your shoulder, keeping the opposite shoulder relaxed.  Move the head from side to side eight times.

b)  Now bring your shoulders up towards your ears and roll them backwards and down again.  Repeat 8 times.

c)  With your hands clasped at chest height and your hips square, gently rotate the upper body from one side to the other, looking over your shoulder as you do.  Repeat 8 times.

d)  Now slide your hand down the outside of your thigh as you take the body to the side.  Keep your hips perfectly still. Alternate from side to side, eight times,.

e)  Draw a large imaginary circle with your hips; rest your hands on your hips and take the pelvis as far to the side, back and front as you can, keeping your legs straight but not locked.  Do four circles in one direction and four the other way.

f)  Pull one knee gently up to the chest, release and lif the other knee.  Do eight alternate lifts, and on the final lift on each side, circle the ankle foud times in each direction.

g)  Finish by dropping your head to your chest and rolling through your spine, with knees slightly bent, until you reach the ground.  Pause, then roll back, 'rebuilding' the spinal column, vertebra by vertebra.

Step 4 - begin with a brisk walk and then progress to a slow jog before you build up to your usual speed.

TIME CRUNCH?  Skip steps 1 and 2 unless you are doing a long run, in which case, Sam Murphy recommends to complete the whole warm-up routine.