Go slow with new workout regimen

Nature beckons, but be wary with your summer workouts, cautions kinesiology professor C. Buz Swanik of Temple University, Philadelphia. "Anytime you change the mode of exercise you're used to, you're increasing your workload," Swanik says. "If you took the best cyclist in the world and put him on a treadmill, it'd be a lot harder."

Although the lure of working out al fresco stirs many couch potatoes to action, Swanik warns that newbie runners should be mindful of several potential pitfalls when devising an exercise plan. "A person who's been sedentary must be careful of the added stress to their bodies. It's just like the stories of heart attack sufferers who've been indoors during the winter and go out to try to shovel snow.

"And for those who've been in the gym, the running surface outdoors is different and there's a lot more stress on the joints and bones. But the big thing is the heat. Most people don't stay hydrated."

Swanik's advice for anyone modifying or starting a fitness program is to build up stamina gradually and phase in any changes to the routine.

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