December 2009 Newsletter – Warm Up & Cool Down
For all of you getting ready to begin the next month of holiday dashes to get everything done, I thought I’d spend a little time on the importance of a good warm up and cool down before exercising. These are two important parts of a healthy workout that we really can’t afford to skip.
Why Warm Up?
The idea of starting any workout with a warm up is to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. This enables your body to raise your core body temperature, making your muscles more flexible for stretching and also increasing the blood and oxygen flow to your muscles in preparation for more vigorous activity. A proper warm up safely prepares the body for the increased demands of exercise and reduces the risk of experiencing a muscle strain, tear, or some other type of injury.
Warm ups should last approximately 5-10 minutes, or slightly longer in cold weather or before high-intensity exercise. A general rule of thumb for a good warm up is to gradually increase the intensity of your specific activity. For example, if you were going to run you would begin with a walk, then progress to a jog, and finally begin to run.
Why Cool Down?
After you’ve reached and maintained your training heart rate level during your workout, it is important to recover gradually. The importance of a cool down period is to gradually reduce your pulse and to return the blood to your heart in sufficient quantities to rid the muscles of lactic acid, a chemical result of muscular fatigue. If you stop suddenly, without a proper cool down, the blood will pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart, which can lead to dizziness, nausea, and an overall worn out feeling, which are common symptoms of an improper cool down.
A safe cool down period should include 5-10 minutes of a light jog or walk, followed by static stretching. Stretching is best performed following a workout when the muscles are warmed up. Stretches of major muscle groups should be held comfortably for 30-60 seconds in order to minimize soreness and tightness.
If you do experience an injury or have a nagging issue that doesn’t seem to go away no matter how religious you are about including a proper warm up and cool down in your workout, then your physical therapist is the one to see to help get to the root of the cause and assist your healthy return to exercise with an individually designed program just for you. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
December 2009 Newsletter – Warm Up & Cool Down