Everyone knows how important it is to warm up before you work out, just as we all know that pushing yourself is the best way to see results from your workouts. But how often do you find yourself towards the end of your workout with low energy, aching, and shaking and just stop exercising? It can be so tempting to just stretch out and have drink of water but in fact not cooling down is as bad for your body as not warming up! As good as it would feel to just stop and gulp cold water while you wait for your breath to go back to normal, this is not good for your overall health and does not help your fitness level in any way. This is why you should end your workout with some cooling down exercises.
Heart Health
Muscle Health
Heart Health
Just as you gradually increase your heart rate to workout level, you should also reduce it slowly by performing cool down exercises. Keep moving, lower impact, less weight etc. but keep moving and let your body slowly work back down to resting.
Circulation
When you’re doing a vigorous workout, there is likely a large amount of blood in your extremities. If you just suddenly stop moving, that blood isn’t needed to provide the energy to your legs and could simply pool there rather than going back to the brain and upper body like it’s supposed to. Without performing any cool down exercises, this can lead to lightheadedness and even fainting.
Muscle Health
It is touted throughout the fitness world that proper cool down exercises will ease muscle pain and cramps. This is because when your muscles are working hard and you suddenly stop the creatine, lactic acids build up and can cause pain and cramping. By continuing to move your muscles by using cool down exercises, albeit more slowly and with less weight or vigor you help disperse that buildup and allow your muscles to return to their normal resting state.
Going from full activity and pushing your body, to a slower bit of exercise and then finishing with relaxing and relieving stretches, you are giving your body the recovery time it needs to make the workout effective without leaving you aching and miserable afterwards. How embarrassing would it be to faint on your way to the gym locker room after showing off your strength during your workout? Don’t give in to the temptation to just quit, make sure you finish strong by cooling down after your workout.