When you exercise, it is important to begin with warm up exercises and end it with light stretching exercises to cool-down your muscles and protect them from strain or injury.
Cool down exercises are an essential part of an exercise regimen. They are made with a good purpose and they are beneficial to your body and overall health.
Here are some of the benefits of warming up and cooling down when exercising:
1. It helps to improve blood circulation.
Warm-up exercises are necessary to prepare your circulatory system and heart muscles for the vigorous workout that’s about to happen.
Stretching and warming up before engaging in strenuous physical exercises can help to reduce irregular heartbeat due to poor circulation.
2. It helps to prevents muscle injury.
When you warm-up before engaging in any type of exercise, you become more flexible. Stretching also makes your muscles more elastic and your joints lubricated. A good warm up prepares your entire body for an intense physical activity.
3. It helps to regulate body temperature.
Cool down exercises after a workout help to control respiration, heart rate and body temperature. These are essential factors that help to prevent irregular heartbeat which can cause life threatening problems. Performing cool down exercises after a heavy workout also helps to prevent muscle aches.
4. It helps to eliminate toxins.
When you perform heavy exercise, your body produces toxins which can be harmful if not released. Cool down exercises can help to eradicate the toxins that build up when your body experiences stress. Cooling down after exercising also helps to release the stress that your muscles have gone through.
5. It helps to speed up muscle recovery.
When you exercise, you muscles go though a lot of stress. This can be a cause for muscle injury and strain.
You should warm-up before you start exercising and cool down after each exercise session to maximize your performance and protect your muscles from painful injuries.