If you’re just taking up exercise there are a few things you should watch out for, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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There’s no question that exercise is a beneficial habit we should all practice, yet for the majority of us it’s hard to fit in to a busy life. Edward McFarland, head of shoulder surgery at Johns Hopkins, says whether you’re starting a new sport or returning to one you’ve played before, slow and steady is the way to go.

McFarland:   The body does not really take to large increases in stress over a short period of time, so if you go do something that you haven't done in 20 years and you do twice as much as you should have done you can almost bet that something's going to get sore and you're probably going to hurt for days. And even if you are in shape doing one exercise a new one will challenge other body parts, so even though you're maybe using some of the same muscles it's not at the same angle, at the same degree and it can really be challenging. People would try to work through things and it would only get worse and worse sometimes you just have to know when to cut back.            :30

McFarland notes that age also plays a part as our ability to bounce back from even minor injuries is more prolonged. All of that said, he encourages everyone to find an exercise or two they enjoy to reap the many health benefits. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.