I know not everyone who's interested in fitness likes sports, but I'm willing to wager that, even if you don't follow basketball, you have an appreciation for what those guys do -- I mean, a professional basketball player's skills on the court are nothing short of amazing, if you ask me.

Well, this past weekend was the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix, and while the festivities were definitely fun to watch, I have to admit that I was also pretty interested in what the players were wearing -- they looked sharp! It was all courtesy of Adidas, and it's all available to you!

You might not be in need of baggy shorts and a jersey, but everyone loves track jackets (seriously -- I've never met a single person who didn't appreciate a good track jacket. Ever.). If you're a fan of the West, you'll find red and gold designs, or, if you cheered for the East, you'll have your choice of apparel in silver and blue.

The snow is flying outside my window right now. It's beautiful, but I know I'm going to have quite a bit of shoveling to do soon. Though shoveling snow shouldn't replace your regular workout, it certainly does offer fitness benefits. Like any other physical activity, you need to be smart and careful when shoveling snow.

• Warm up for a few minutes before heading outside to shovel snow. Walk in place for five to 10 minutes in your living room or climb up and down the stairs a few times.
• Stretch after your warm-up. Be sure to do some flexibility exercises that safely stretch your back, such as lying on your back and bringing your knees up to your chest. Also do some arm and leg stretches.
  
• Dress in layers so you can peel off your outer layers if you start to get overheated.
• Use proper equipment. Some snow shovels are designed for pushing light snow and others are designed for scooping and lifting heavier snow. Make sure you've got the right tool for the job.
  
• Use your legs. If the snow is too heavy to just push to the side, use your legs. Throw the snow in a forward motion -- don't twist and throw it over your shoulder or to the side.

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Before diving headlong into a resistance training workout, it's a good idea to first warm up a bit. Getting your blood pumping, your mind focused, and your muscles prepped is an important step in preventing injury. But, just like workouts themselves, not all warm-ups are created equal.

Stretching has come under fire as of late, with some experts suggesting that it actually increases the risk of injury. Of course, there exists a great deal of research that states otherwise, so let's just say the jury is still out on stretching. However, just about everyone agrees that performing some light cardio and warm-up sets before resistance training are vital to a proper workout. Therefore, in order to properly prepare your body for the difficult workout that's soon to come, your warm-up must incorporate the use of the muscles to be trained.

While a light jog on a treadmill or five to 10 minutes on an elliptical is a pretty good way to accomplish this, an even better way is to perform the Barbell Duck-Under and the Barbell Step-Over.

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When you think of shoulder muscles, you're probably envisioning the deltoids. But a small group of muscles referred to as the rotator cuff is equally important to shoulder strength, injury prevention, and stability. The tiny rotator cuff muscles play a big role when it comes to lifting weight. So before you hit the bench press, make sure to warm up the rotator cuff. Men's Health shares a tip that's as easy as A, B, C:

• Pick up a 2-4 pound medicine ball and press it against a wall with one hand. Keep your arm straight and don't lean into the wall.
• Using firm pressure, roll the medicine ball against the wall and trace out the alphabet. The more pressure you use, the more the rotator cuff will be worked. Repeat the alphabet once with both arms.

Also, check out Chris' post on the importance of resistance training in addition to exercising your rotator cuff.

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The warm-up? Check. The workout? Check. The cool-down? Ah ... forgot that one.

After you finish your high-powered cardio or weight training, your workout is still not done, I'm afraid. The oft-forgotten cool-down period plays a significant role in returning blood flow and heart and lung function back to their normal state. It also helps prevent blood from pooling in the muscles you were working, something that can cause dizzy spells or even fainting.

Spend about five minutes walking at a very easy pace. Remember, the point here is to help blood vessels relax and cardiac function return to normal, so take it nice and slow. Adding some stretches as part of your cool-down is also a good idea, though it's best to do it after finishing the short walk.

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We know that we have to warm up before a workout to make sure our muscles don't cramp up. But how important is the cool-down? My fitness instructors always insist on doing an adequate cool-down -- they claim it's just as important as the warm-up.

Still not convinced? Read this post on Fitsugar. The cool-down has a number of great benefits -- it prevents next-day soreness (particularly if your cool-down includes stretching), it helps you increase the range-of-motion in your joints, and it helps keep you from fainting. And as someone who is prone to fainting, I can tell you that it really does help if you walk it off after a run -- I've fainted after not adequately cooling down following a particularly grueling cardio session.

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It's always good to remember the basics, especially when it comes to your fitness and exercise routine. And thanks to our friends over at FitSugar we have this handy reminder of 5 things all good workouts should include:

• Warm-Up. If you're excited to get started it's easy to jump right in to your routine, but skipping this step could result reduced calorie-burning or worse, injury.
• Cardio. It has great benefits not only for weight loss and weight management, but also for your heart and cardiovascular system, reducing your risk of disease and health problems.
  
• Flexibility training. Stretching and keeping flexible is good for preventing injury, reducing muscle soreness, and getting/keeping healthy joints.
• Strength training. Also a major player in weight loss and weight management, resistance training also enhances strength and posture, reduces the risk of back injury, and has been shown to help with bone health.
• Cool-down. It's never good to start anything physical and/or quit abruptly, so a cool-down is necessary to get the most health benefits from any workout. Cooling down helps the heart rate slow down more naturally, can help prevent blood from pooling, and reduces the chances of dizziness or fainting.

Does your workout have all these pieces? Honestly, I don't always do cardio and strength training in the same session, but I'm thinking that's okay. I hope so anyway!

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