What kind of stretching -- if any -- should I do before I work out? And how can I increase flexibility in my legs? I can barely touch my toes.

You should do minimal stretching before a workout if your muscles are cold. A good warm-up is to perform the exercise or activity you're about to begin at a reduced intensity level before starting the session in full out.

If you're lifting weights, a light warm-up set of 15-20 repetitions will bring blood into the muscles you're about to train, and help lubricate the joints involved in the movement. If you're running, start out walking briskly and then jog slowly for 5-10 minutes. If you're cycling, select smaller (easier) gears, and pedal at a slightly higher cadence for 10 minutes before starting to turn the bigger gears.

Stretching is easier, and you are less likely to injure yourself while stretching if you do it after your workout when your muscles are warm and have more blood in them. Your muscles will be more elastic and more receptive to the stretching then.

Not being able to touch your toes is probably due to having a tight lower back and calves as well as tight hamstrings. I recommend that you stretch those muscle groups, and your quadriceps (front thigh muscles), too. Here are a few stretches to get you started:

• Start out lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Gently hug one knee toward your chest with your hands, using minimal upper body strength. Hold this for up to 30 seconds. Release this leg and do the same with the other leg. Repeat this twice more for up to 30 seconds.
• Same starting position as above: Place one leg flat on the floor. Hug the knee of the bent leg towards you while trying to keep the knee of the leg that's on the floor as flat as possible. Hold for up to 30 seconds. Change legs. You can do this stretch a couple of times.
• Keep one leg flat and your other leg bent with the foot flat on the floor. Place your arms along side of you with your palms flat. Raise the leg that's flat on the floor as high as you can while keeping that knee as straight as possible. Don't push off of the foot that's on the floor or raise your hips off the floor. Change legs. Repeat as above.
• Bend both knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Hold your arms straight out to the side with your palms facing up. Let both legs drop to the same side while turning your head the opposite way. Take three deep, breaths before rolling your legs back up to the center and on through to the other side.
• Stand while holding onto a chair for support, or with one palm against a wall. Bend your knee behind you and grab your ankle with your free hand. Gently pull your heel toward your butt until you feel some tension on the front of your thigh. Make sure you keep the knee of the leg you're holding as close as possible to the knee of the standing leg. Switch sides.
• Stand arms length from a wall with your legs together and your knees straight. With your palms flat and your fingertips pointing up, lean on the wall while keeping your heels on the ground. For more stretch, move one foot closer to the wall with a bent knee, and move the other foot further from the wall keeping that knee straight. Keep your back straight while you do this stretch. Hold for 30 seconds.

All these stretches can be done for up to three times per stretch, for as much as 30 seconds. For more information on stretching, get "Sport Stretch" by Michael Alter, 2nd Edition, Human Kinetics (1-800-747-4457; www.humankinetics.com.).

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