Making sure that our bodies are fit and healthy is a trend that’s well and truly grounded itself in the mainstream. Living well and getting a good amount of exercise is a far more beneficial choice than a life of lethargy and overeating, however even if you’re regularly getting lots of exercise your approach to activity can bring negative effects. The need for a cool-down after periods of physical activity is one of these, and if you’re not bringing your workout to a close in the right way, all manner of issues can arise.
So why do we need to have a cool-down period of less strenuous activity after a big work out? Firstly, cool-downs stop the build-up of blood in the veins after exercise. During long, vigorous bouts of exercise the veins in the legs and arms expand to allow more blood to flow through to the muscles. After you stop, the veins stay open and blood pools in the body away from the brain. This can cause dizziness and even feinting. Walking or stretching for a few minutes after a work-out will allow the vessels to constrict naturally, stopping the pooling from occurring.
Stretching after exercise can also improve the long term flexibility of your muscles. After you work out, your muscles are warm and pliable, so when you stretch them they are more easily manipulated. Try and stretch every muscle group in your body, holding each position in a state of tension – not pain – for around 10 to 20 seconds. You’ll feel the results very quickly, and it’ll stop you from inadvertently pulling muscles during subsequent routines.
Resting properly after a session is also very important. When you lie down and sleep, your body repairs muscle fibres damaged during exercise, and without this you will not get the benefits you otherwise would have attained if you had slept well. Part of achieving this is having a good mattress. If yours is old, springy and uncomfortable, hop online to a retailer such as Bedstar and get hold of a foam mattress; they’re surprisingly inexpensive and are often listed as clearance items, and they’ll hugely improve your muscle health, reducing aches and pains.
Finally, lactates. When you exercise lactic acid and other lactates accumulate in the muscles, and if you don’t undertake cool-down activity whilst these are present in your muscles, soreness will inevitably result the next day. Simply stretching for a few minutes helps the acid be expelled from your muscle tissue, keeping you pain-free in the process!
