Before starting out, do warm-up exercises. Stretching gradually increases heart rate, temperature and circulation to your muscles. Also, after a night's rest, your muscles need warming. Stretching gets the body going and increases your flexibility.
Start out slowly, gradually increasing your pace and distance traveled
Let the slowest person in your hiking, paddling, and biking or cross-country skiing party set the pace. This is especially important when children are a apart of your group.