So now we know about why we warm up but what about cooling down. Surely you cool down anyway once you stop exercising ?.
As it turns out there are several good reasons:
After you've reached and maintained your training heart rate level in the
aerobic portion of your class, it is important to recover gently.
The cool down
serves two purposes:
1) it reduces your pulse; and
2) it returns the blood to
your heart in sufficient quantities to rid the muscles of lactic acid (a
chemical result of muscular fatigue).
If you do not cool down properly you could induce a post workout injury or unnecessary suffering and pain.If you stop suddenly, the blood will pool
in your legs instead of returning to your heart.
In addition dizziness, nausea and a "worn
out" feeling are common symptoms of an improper cool down.
Duration of Cool Downs
It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realise it does not need to
pump all the additional blood to your muscles. A safe cool down period is at
least 3 minutes, preferably 4-5 minutes.
All cool downs should be followed by
stretching of the muscles to avoid soreness and tightness.
Ensuring proper warms ups and cool downs will ensure you keep on enjoying your exercises with reduced risk of unnecessary discomfort and injury.
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