Why warming down is important

Here are some shared tips on why and how you should incorporate warm ups and cool downs to your fitness routine! This is true for exercise as well! It will raise your body temperature, increase your blood flow, and elevate your heart rate more gradually than if you jumped straight into an aerobic activity. This can help you decrease pain or risk of injury. Likewise, cooling down can help you return your heart rate to normal.

Engaging in warm ups or cool downs can also improve your flexibility and range of motion. To effectively warm up, it is best to do an activity that is similar to the exercise you will be engaging in just at a slower pace and lower intensity.

Pelvic tilts: Laying on your back with knees bent - rock your pelvis back - flattening your back aga How should I stretch the muscles on the bottom of my feet? James P. Ioli, DPM. To stretch the muscles on the bottom of your feet: Stand with feet together. Warm ups will always vary between people depending on exercise type, intensity, age and body ailments. Warm ups tend to develop over time based on the individual and what they find best gets their body ready for exercise.

Exercise specific activity: dribbling, shooting hoops and passing a basketball to get ready for the basketball game. The Cool Down In contrast to the warm up, the cool down is all about lowering the body temperature and heart rate back to normal. A cool down will normally include very light aerobic activity and static sustained stretching. Performing some light aerobic activity after exercise like walking will help return the body temperature back to baseline and continue to aid oxygen delivery to the muscles for faster recovery.

This will help to rid the muscles of lactic acid and other chemicals built up throughout the exercise, reducing the risk of delayed onset muscles soreness.

Adding static stretches to your cool down will help the muscles to further relax and return back to their normal range of movement. A cool down can take minutes and static stretches should be held between 10 seconds to 30 seconds to properly lengthen out and relax the muscles. Lean forwards with heel flat on the ground to feel a gentle stretch through your calf.

It also helps to lower the risk of getting injured — when your muscles are adequately warmed up, the movements, stretches, and strain you put on them during your workout is less severe.

This also minimizes muscle soreness. Cooling down after your workout aims to gradually bring your heart rate and blood pressure to its normal level — the level it was at prior to exercising. Cooling down also helps to regulate your blood flow, which is especially important for people who undertake endurance sports such as long distance running.

If you stop exercising abruptly without cooling down, your muscles will suddenly stop contracting vigorously. This can cause blood to pool in the lower extremities of your body, leaving your blood without as much pressure to be pumped back to the heart and brain. As a result, you may dizzy and lightheaded, and you may even faint.