So you have just pumped some iron, cursed your trainer for making do those two extra stomach crunches, but managed to run on the treadmill dreaming about the sumptuous toast and sunny side up, sausages and juice waiting for you at your breakfast table. The last three minutes on the treadmill seems like an eon, and once you’re done, you rush your sweaty body straight to the shower.
Though you feel great after the work-out, you’re dreading the next morning because you’re sure that every muscle in your body is going to scream, ache, make you walk funny and go ouch, ouch, ouch’ at the slightest move. Why that happens do you think? Simple, you haven’t cooled down.
What if I don’t?
A cool down is of super importance and should be factored into every exercise regime, just like the warm up. The most definite effect of not cooling down properly after intense exercise is that it leads to stiff and painfully sore muscles the next day or causes cramps.
This is because abruptly stopping in an activity may cause pooling of the blood and slow the removal of waste products like lactic acid, which is accumulated in the muscles. The tension in the muscles also leads to uncomfortable tremors, which make your limbs feel weak and wobbly.
The Routine
So, make sure you cool down after vigorous exercise. The routine however, purely depends on the intensity of your exercise regimen and the amount of pressure put on your muscles and body.
It can involve a slow jog, walk or stretch. It is said that a minimum 10-15 minute cool down period allows heart rate and breathing to return to normal. Slow walking will prevent blood from pooling in the legs, which is a cause of dizziness and blackouts.
The simplest way to cool down is to follow the same stretches that you do to warm up. This will prevent the muscles from becoming sore and stiff. So, breakfast can wait ten minutes?
Though you feel great after the work-out, you’re dreading the next morning because you’re sure that every muscle in your body is going to scream, ache, make you walk funny and go ouch, ouch, ouch’ at the slightest move. Why that happens do you think? Simple, you haven’t cooled down.
What if I don’t?
A cool down is of super importance and should be factored into every exercise regime, just like the warm up. The most definite effect of not cooling down properly after intense exercise is that it leads to stiff and painfully sore muscles the next day or causes cramps.
This is because abruptly stopping in an activity may cause pooling of the blood and slow the removal of waste products like lactic acid, which is accumulated in the muscles. The tension in the muscles also leads to uncomfortable tremors, which make your limbs feel weak and wobbly.
The Routine
So, make sure you cool down after vigorous exercise. The routine however, purely depends on the intensity of your exercise regimen and the amount of pressure put on your muscles and body.
It can involve a slow jog, walk or stretch. It is said that a minimum 10-15 minute cool down period allows heart rate and breathing to return to normal. Slow walking will prevent blood from pooling in the legs, which is a cause of dizziness and blackouts.
The simplest way to cool down is to follow the same stretches that you do to warm up. This will prevent the muscles from becoming sore and stiff. So, breakfast can wait ten minutes?
