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.
Popular Posts
-
Despite December being a month of parties and celebrations, it can also be a pretty miserable time of year. When Christmas and all its festi...
-
A common exercising mistake is the failure to warm up before beginning exercise plus failing to cool down properly afterwards. Why warming ...
-
Breakfast 2 slices of toasted rye bread with hazelnut butter & St Dalfour strawberry jam, plus chopped banana. Lunch F... -
When you think of fitness do you think of pounding the streets, doing aerobics or using the cardio equipment at the gym? Do you look at...
-
Thursday 26 th January I am pleased with the changes I am making and sustaining. Will take the grandchildren out for a push today ~ fun ...
Thursday, 15 December 2011
The value of Warm Ups and Cool Downs
A common exercising mistake is the failure to warm up before beginning exercise plus failing to cool down properly afterwards.
Why warming up is important
To be safe, any aerobic exercise program should begin with a warm up period. The main purpose of warming up is to increase your heart rate slightly. This has several benefits:
1) it raises your core body temperature; and
2) it increases the blood (oxygen) flow to your muscles to prepare your body for more vigorous physical activity.
This allows:
3)Your muscles and tendons (which attach your muscles to your bones) to be more flexible for stretching after these mild movement have raised your internal body temperature.
4) Increased flexibility which helps you increase the range of motion of your joints and also may help you avoid injuries such as muscle tears and pulls.
Which muscles should I warm up?
Focus on warming up large muscle groups (i.e. quadriceps, calves, chest, etc...).
For example: In an aerobic class, participants march in place, grapevine, do knee lifts etc for the legs. To warm up the chest and shoulder area, participants do shoulder rolls, arm circles etc.
Runners/joggers could begin their run with a fast walk for 3 to 5 minutes followed by a stretch prior to the actual run itself.
How Long should I warm up?
It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realise it needs to pump more blood to your muscles. Warm ups should therefore last approximately 5 - 10 minutes and they should incorporate stretching of large muscle groups (such as the quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders etc)
If you do all this you should avoid injury and allow yourself to keep doing the beneficial exercise programmes.
Tomorrow we will talk about cooling down too!
Why warming up is important
To be safe, any aerobic exercise program should begin with a warm up period. The main purpose of warming up is to increase your heart rate slightly. This has several benefits:
1) it raises your core body temperature; and
2) it increases the blood (oxygen) flow to your muscles to prepare your body for more vigorous physical activity.
This allows:
3)Your muscles and tendons (which attach your muscles to your bones) to be more flexible for stretching after these mild movement have raised your internal body temperature.
4) Increased flexibility which helps you increase the range of motion of your joints and also may help you avoid injuries such as muscle tears and pulls.
Which muscles should I warm up?
Focus on warming up large muscle groups (i.e. quadriceps, calves, chest, etc...).
For example: In an aerobic class, participants march in place, grapevine, do knee lifts etc for the legs. To warm up the chest and shoulder area, participants do shoulder rolls, arm circles etc.
Runners/joggers could begin their run with a fast walk for 3 to 5 minutes followed by a stretch prior to the actual run itself.
How Long should I warm up?
It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realise it needs to pump more blood to your muscles. Warm ups should therefore last approximately 5 - 10 minutes and they should incorporate stretching of large muscle groups (such as the quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders etc)
If you do all this you should avoid injury and allow yourself to keep doing the beneficial exercise programmes.
Tomorrow we will talk about cooling down too!
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Weather the weather
Just because it is raining, snowing and windy outside there is no need to slack off on the exercise and fitness levels.
Many options await you:
Use you gym - Make good use of that gym membership and use all the facilities that you have invested in whilst you cannot jog in the park. Swimming in the inside pool or the running and cycling machines look all the more attractive when you may loose life and limb on icy pavements.
Engage in wintry sports - Ice skating on pop up rinks can be a brilliant form of exercise once you have got the knack. A couple of hours tobogganing can also be great fun as well as exercise.
Living room fitness - I will never forget catching my mum polishing the hallway floor - dusters elastic banded onto each foot - to the Saturday Night Fever record. You can make your chores a good part of your fitness routine.
Alternatively crack open that fitness DVD you got last year and have your own living room workout. Look out for them in charity shops for 50p. You can then make use of someone else's unwanted Xmas present.
If you do not have much room, some forms of fitness do not need much room. Once you have learnt the ropes Yoga and Pilate's are easy to practice in your own home with a small area of floor space.
Keep going with your fitness and you will be ready to embrace the outside world of fitness once Spring arrives.
Many options await you:
Use you gym - Make good use of that gym membership and use all the facilities that you have invested in whilst you cannot jog in the park. Swimming in the inside pool or the running and cycling machines look all the more attractive when you may loose life and limb on icy pavements.
Engage in wintry sports - Ice skating on pop up rinks can be a brilliant form of exercise once you have got the knack. A couple of hours tobogganing can also be great fun as well as exercise.
Living room fitness - I will never forget catching my mum polishing the hallway floor - dusters elastic banded onto each foot - to the Saturday Night Fever record. You can make your chores a good part of your fitness routine.
Alternatively crack open that fitness DVD you got last year and have your own living room workout. Look out for them in charity shops for 50p. You can then make use of someone else's unwanted Xmas present.
If you do not have much room, some forms of fitness do not need much room. Once you have learnt the ropes Yoga and Pilate's are easy to practice in your own home with a small area of floor space.
Keep going with your fitness and you will be ready to embrace the outside world of fitness once Spring arrives.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Foods that boost your mood.
In addition to making your life more active you can also improve how happy you feel in the dark damp depths of winter by taking a good look at your diet.What foods can you eat to improve your mood?.
Ironically components of traditional Christmas food does have many of the elements you need:
Turkey - contains Tryptophan that the body converts to Serotonin ( that mood boosting substance in the brain). I knew there was a reason I loved Christmas dinner.
Walnuts - A standard of the Xmas nuts bowl - contain B6 and magnesium.
Leafy green vegetables - such as Kale, cabbage and broccoli - alongside your Turkey and stuffing - also contain B6 and Magnesium.
Wash all this down with a glass of full bodied red wine - just one - full of its anti-oxidant properties.
Look out for our new articles in January that will fully cover this issue and give you more guidance on foods for boosting your mood.
Ironically components of traditional Christmas food does have many of the elements you need:
Turkey - contains Tryptophan that the body converts to Serotonin ( that mood boosting substance in the brain). I knew there was a reason I loved Christmas dinner.
Walnuts - A standard of the Xmas nuts bowl - contain B6 and magnesium.
Leafy green vegetables - such as Kale, cabbage and broccoli - alongside your Turkey and stuffing - also contain B6 and Magnesium.
Wash all this down with a glass of full bodied red wine - just one - full of its anti-oxidant properties.
Look out for our new articles in January that will fully cover this issue and give you more guidance on foods for boosting your mood.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Lift your spirits
Despite December being a month of parties and celebrations, it can also be a pretty miserable time of year. When Christmas and all its festivities are over we find ourselves in a celebration defunct with the depressing months of January and February looming. It can be a cold, dark, damp and uninspiring time and the shorter days and longer nights are natural mood depressors for everyone.
It is therfore all too easy to slip into a bit of depressed state at this time of year. Many hide inside and hibernate or resort to mood boosting snacking and comfort eating. And when trying to be healthy, this is precisely the opposite of what you should do. So this week we are going to talk about things that you could or should do to boost your mood and to avoid the negative impact of the winter months on your mood.
No 1 on the list is exercise. It has been proved by many studies that exercise - any exercise - will help lift your mood. So whatever you do, do not simply sit inside and watch TV. Get up and get out. You will feel better for it!
Gyms do not need to be expensive and can be worth their weight as they provide the ideal facilities to get you moving in comfort. I love watching my favourite TV programmes and music stations with earphones whilst jogging and cycling on the machines. I get to watch them in peace without the constant interruptions at home. You have the opportunity to shower and then relax and reap the rewards (such as glowing skin and a great nights sleep).
Another option is to just simply go for a walk to get some natural uplift from the fresh air and enjoy the sights and sounds of your surroundings. Even the chance of seeing people will lift your spirits if you've been stuck indoors on your own all day.
Cycling has become increasingly popular and safer cycle paths are provided in most towns to make it a safe and invigorating entertainment for many. It can be really uplifting whizzing down country lanes alone or with friends and family.
Team games or competitive sports can also be great to get you out. Why not join a golf or tennis club? Learn a new sport such as badminton or squash. Or take up swimming at your local sports hall. It does not need to be expensive or hardcore to make a difference to your wellbeing.
Get outside and get active and I promise you will feel so much better.
It is therfore all too easy to slip into a bit of depressed state at this time of year. Many hide inside and hibernate or resort to mood boosting snacking and comfort eating. And when trying to be healthy, this is precisely the opposite of what you should do. So this week we are going to talk about things that you could or should do to boost your mood and to avoid the negative impact of the winter months on your mood.
No 1 on the list is exercise. It has been proved by many studies that exercise - any exercise - will help lift your mood. So whatever you do, do not simply sit inside and watch TV. Get up and get out. You will feel better for it!
Gyms do not need to be expensive and can be worth their weight as they provide the ideal facilities to get you moving in comfort. I love watching my favourite TV programmes and music stations with earphones whilst jogging and cycling on the machines. I get to watch them in peace without the constant interruptions at home. You have the opportunity to shower and then relax and reap the rewards (such as glowing skin and a great nights sleep).
Another option is to just simply go for a walk to get some natural uplift from the fresh air and enjoy the sights and sounds of your surroundings. Even the chance of seeing people will lift your spirits if you've been stuck indoors on your own all day.
Cycling has become increasingly popular and safer cycle paths are provided in most towns to make it a safe and invigorating entertainment for many. It can be really uplifting whizzing down country lanes alone or with friends and family.
Team games or competitive sports can also be great to get you out. Why not join a golf or tennis club? Learn a new sport such as badminton or squash. Or take up swimming at your local sports hall. It does not need to be expensive or hardcore to make a difference to your wellbeing.
Get outside and get active and I promise you will feel so much better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)