So you've finished your workout and you're ready to move onto the next part of your day. Not quite. Make time for cool down exercises and your body will thank you for it.
"Think of your body like a car," says Boom Cycle trainer, Lisa Jayne Holmes. "You (hopefully) don’t drive your car at 100mph for a sustained period of time, then when you’re done just slam on the breaks, turn the engine off, leave it and hope for the best next time you start it up. It's the same with your body, so if you’ve been training at intensity, it’s good practice to gradually reduce that intensity to help your body temperature and heart rate return to normal.
"Including stretches in your cool down routine can also help prevent lactic acid build up and help to reduce muscle stiffness and soreness in the next 24 to 48 hours after your session, as well as helping to maintain joint flexibility. Stretching as part of your cool down is perfect because your muscles are already warm and loose, so you may be able to stretch more deeply and over time increase your range of motion too."
But what will happen if you don't have time, if your workout is all you can fit in that day. Well, according to Holmes avoiding a cool down isn't just bad form, it's potentially dangerous. "If you leave a fitness class or session almost immediately after the final push, your heart rate is likely to still be extremely elevated. Keeping your heart rate that high without allowing it time to start to reduce steadily can result in dizziness and muscle cramps post workout. If you're sedentary almost immediately after your session without a cool down, then blood can start to pool in extremities of the body, meaning less blood reaches your head and heart – a recipe for light headedness and fainting."
Don't make that mistake. Have a go at these 11 cool down exercises the next time you workout, and you'll be relaxed, recovered and ready for whatever your day throws at you.