The winter warm downs.
Do you ever get that feeling after exercise when you sit down to recover or relax and a few minutes later you get up and feels like you have aged a couple of years?
Well ‘Winter is coming’, and the sudden definite drop in temperature is going to make that feeling so much worse, in fact it could even result in an injury.
One thing that can be counted on when you workout or exercise is getting warmer. The whole idea is to increase your heart rate and tone the muscles and this is going to make you get hotter and perspire – perspiration is the body’s natural way of cooling down. However between sets and after your workout, it is important to cool down or warm down slowly to stay warm to prevent the chance of getting sick and prevent a nasty injury.
After you have done a high intensity workout that made you feel really hot and then you simply finished up and stepped out of the gym to go home, or even simply stopped and sat around for a while. Suddenly your body is a lot hotter than the surrounding atmosphere, which may be quite cool. This can leave you susceptible to catching a cold or picking up viruses.
Secondly, even if you don’t catch cold, your muscles can become cold too quickly and become injured. For a start, the blood tends to pool in your legs when you stop brisk exercise and may cool down too quickly. Adding a pair of track pants will ensure that warmth is kept while your breathing and heart rate goes back to normal. The lactic acid that accumulates in the muscles during exercise can be more easily dispersed when you stay warm afterwards.
A. Warm Down Slowly.
It is for these reasons that cooling down exercises are done after intense exercise – some people call them ‘warming down’ exercises. They help you in several ways.
1.Your heart rate returns to normal resting rate more gradually.
2.Dizziness or light headedness can be avoided.
3.Metabolites and lactic acid can be removed more easily.
4. Muscles are kept prepared for the next exercise set.
The latter is also true when you wear clothing that keeps you warm after exercising. If you are going to another form of exercise but have to wait a while to recover or for your turn, keeping those muscles warm is essential to avoid injury and ensure you can do your best on the next exercise regime.
If you allow your body to cool down too quickly, muscle strains and sprains may result when you go to the next lot of exercises.
B. Use the Right Clothing
You will often see athletes put on warm clothing straight away after their match is over, especially if they have been competing outside in the cold. It is a good idea to keep your body at the right temperature and is essential in preventing muscle spasms, cramps and possible injury.
If you want to be ‘cool’ then keep warm, train hard and enjoy it.
