By Jim Hassett, Sportsworld, Lower Hutt

Whether it’s cricket, tennis, tramping, or touch rugby, your summer sport (and your enjoyment) will benefit from basic physical preparation.

The first step is to engage in an exercise programme. You’ll get best results from low level work-outs such as jogging, cycling, or swimming, 3 or 4 days a week for 15 to 20 minutes each day. Precede every workout with a warm-up that is gentle, rhythmic and aimed at stretching the muscles. Maintaining or improving physical fitness is your objective, so your exercise should be structured, repetitive, purposeful, and preferably bring into use the muscles involved in your summer activity.

Winter is not always kind when it comes to outside activities, and so it could be wise to invest in buying or renting fitness equipment. Rowing machines and/or stationary exercycles are readily available at Sportsworld, and often come with printed or computerised programmes that can be tailored to your needs.

Even without any equipment, you can work out by doing star-jumps, sit-ups, push-ups, and any such exercise that pits you against your own body weight. Skipping also provides great benefits mainly for coordination, breathing, leg muscles, and agility.

In all efforts, it is imperative to avoid straining. It is far better to carry out a light task several times than to complete a hard task only once or twice. (Lifting weights is not a good idea unless you have been tutored, or are being supervised by a trainer.)

Every exercise session should also include a cool down period to enable your body to return to a resting state. Establish a programme that suits your needs, discipline yourself to follow it, and reap the rewards.

And don't forget to eat well and drink those 6 to 8 glasses of water per day.

Having taken care of yourself, check your equipment before the time arrives to use it. Does that racquet need a restring; that cricket bat need a new grip, or that fishing reel need new line? Adopt the Scout Motto, "Be Prepared" and enjoy your chosen summer activity.