Exercising: The Warm-Up and Cool Downs are Important Too

 Two of the most crucial parts of a workout, the warm-up and the cool down, are often ignored.  Many of us are in such a hurry to get to the meat of the workout that we forget how important it is to prepare our bodies for action.

 

An article by Heath Matthews for McClatchy-Tribune Business News (Sept 6, 2009) discusses how to get gym-ready.   A workout, he cautions, is a three step process which includes a warm-up, the main workout, and then a cool down.

 

The first thing to do, of course, is warm up really well.  This allows your body to go from a state of rest to a state of activity.  Stretching at this point may not be the answer.  Research is now telling us that just stretching before you exercise does nothing to either increase your flexibility or prevent injuries.  Instead, the best warm-up is a slow, gentle version of whatever activity you are preparing to engage in.  This involves raising the body temperature, stretching the joints and muscles, and engaging your core.  The hardest part for most of is that the experts recommend 15-20 minutes for both the warm-up and the cool down, and this just plain takes too much time.  I have a tendency to only do 5 minutes worth and then wonder why I am stiff and sore the next day.

 

It makes sense though.  A good warm-up warms your muscles and lubricates your joints before you start.   You should be sweating lightly and your muscles should feel warm and fully stretched. The warm-up should have eased any stiffness and discomfort left over from your last workout and you should be breathing 25-50% harder than normal.   What do you think?  You can’t tell me that I am the only one who doesn’t want to take the time to warm up properly?

 

Warming up is important for sports enthusiasts too.  A brief warm-up walk before a jog or a short jog before a tennis match will help your coordination and make your muscles ready for action.  Warming up gently to the point of breaking a sweat and feeling comfortable helps with flexibility and prevents injury.

 

The cool down is the warm-up in reverse.  It requires the same amount of time and is vital to slowly re-establishing normal circulation.  Continue moving as you slow your pace to transition back to a resting state.  This should allow your heart rate to return to its near resting level.  A good cool down gradually decreases your heart rate and body temperature and helps prevent muscle cramping and soreness.  Once you finish your cool down, it is time to stretch.

 

If you are plagued with cramping and muscle soreness it just might be because you aren’t taking the time to warm-up and cool down properly. Fitness buffs over the age of 50 notice aches and pains more than when they were younger, so it is even more important to add in that extra 30 minutes.  I am now thinking that it might be better to cut a few minutes out of the heart of the workout rather than skipping the warm-up and cool down.

 

Comments

[Fit Click]

There are so many other factors that play into weight loss and the rate at which you burn calories. Warm-ups and cool-downs are very important to maintaining a healthy body. Getting the proper amount of sleep every night is also very important to being healthy. Visit Fit Click to get more weight loss tips.