I am not sure where the phrase, "No pain, no gain!" started. It was popular in the eighties and has been attributed to Jane Fonda, who has been blamed for a multitude of wrongs. I still hear people refer to this belief that has fostered many a misconception about working out.

Yes, as I have mentioned before, when we challenge our muscles during a workout - which we do want to do - we will usually feel a mild soreness the next day. And that is fine. But we don't want to feel strong pain while we are exercising and we want to practice safety first and foremost during any form of physical activity. In this article I am going to concentrate on safety and the unsafe practices that many erroneously employ.

During aerobics classes, protect your joints, muscles and knees. I used to thrive on high impact aerobics - the more movement, jumping, turning, jogging and bouncing the better! And then one day my left knee started to hurt. It got so painful that it would wake me up in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I was wise enough to realize that my high impact days should come to an end. I started working out on the step, which I now have been doing for more than twelve years, and feel that I get an effective, if not more effective, workout than before.

But there is also a safety warning here about step aerobics. Watch out for the quick turns, the crazy jumping on and off the step, and working on the balls of your feet. Also choose a step height that is challenging but not too high. All can produce joint and knee problems. Also be cautious about a class where the beat of the music is super fast, which can lead to incorrect form and is just asking for injury. In actuality, the slower we move, whether it is aerobically or during strength and resistance training, the better the workout.

I know that it feels like we are working harder when we are jumping around, however, it takes more energy to move slowly without the benefit of the bounce. Note: if you notice that the instructor of a class you take or want to take is often suffering from an injury, beware. He or she may be using unsafe moves.

Be sure to spend sufficient time warming up, stretching and cooling down. I know that I have said this before several times, but this part of our workout is so important, I can't stress it enough. And, being an instructor, I am aware that often we are not scheduled as much time for our class as we would like to have - it is hard to "get it all in."

For safety's sake, before any type of physical activity, you should spend at least five minutes warming up with vigorous movement (fast walking, light jogging, etc.), followed by five minutes of active, stretching with movement. And, it is even more important to follow any physical activity with a cooling and slowing down of the heart, accompanied by movement of the feet, and deep, static stretching.

The best time to stretch is when the muscles are warm, and I also suggest stretching each muscle group immediately following its direct workout. For example, after working the quadriceps with deep squats, we always take between 11 and 30 seconds to stretch them before continuing on with the next muscle group. One note of warning: make sure that when you stretch that your knee does not extend out over your toe. This is very hard on the knee.

Practice heart rate safety. One reason we work out and work out aerobically is to get our heart rate into a target zone that helps to strengthen our heart, which is also a muscle. To remind you, the way to find your target zone is to subtract your age from 220 and then multiply that total by .65 to find the low end (BPM) and .85 to find the high end (BPM). The recommendation is to work somewhere between those two figures - you will be burning fat at that level.

To check it - and any good instructor will have you check your heart rate during the class - find your pulse and count (starting at 0) for six seconds, then multiply by ten to find your actual heart rate. The newest theory is that it is OK to push yourself one minute out of every four to even get higher than your .85 number. You will be burning carbohydrates at this time, but as long as you feel good - you can sing, talk, smile and breathe - you will burn those fats the rest of the day, and you are building your heart's strength. This method is only an approximation but gives you a good idea of how hard you are working.

Another time when it is super important to check your heart rate is before you get down on the floor to do calisthenics. You want to make sure that your heart rate is 120 BPM or below before you drop your head.

Special note: heart rates vary a great deal. The more fit we are, the harder we have to work to increase our heart rate. And, if you are on any special medication, that can also affect the speed of your heart. Be cautious about taking diet aids that speed up your heart rate - this can spell a dangerous situation. Be sure to check with your physician.

Finally, be sensible about "pain." Martyrdom is out! If you feel direct pain when performing a certain move during aerobics and/or resistance training, check your form and, if you are doing the move correctly and still experiencing pain, don't do it. Even if everyone else is moving right along without problems, your body knows best.

You might ask your instructor and/or trainer for an alternative move that accomplishes the same outcome. Oftentimes, once we have strengthened an area that was giving us problems previously, we will be able to do a move that pained us before.

Remember, "No pain, lots of gain!" Keep up your exercising, but do it safely and you will see and feel a huge difference in your physical being.

As always, check with your own healtcare professional before undertaking any diet or exercise program.