MAGAZINE

So you did your warm up exercises before lunging it out in the gym, working out every inch of your muscle with an exhilarating workout...

So you did your warm up exercises before lunging it out in the gym, working out every inch of your muscle with an exhilarating workout regimen just short of a torture just to get that energy and muscle building going. Afterwards you head to the showers, change into your comfortable clothes then head out of the gym feeling energized as ever. For you, everything worked well…but are you really sure you got everything covered?

Cooling down is often the most by-passed part of an exercise regimen. Most people think that warm-ups is the only important part of working out or playing games because it stretches the muscle and gets it in the proper condition for the activity ahead. If you are one of these people, then you need to get your facts right. Cool-downs are as important, read: AS IMPORTANT as warming up. It is the stage of the activity where it counters all the effects of warm-ups and gets your body back as close to its original resting stage as possible.

Benefits of Cooling Down

• During Warm ups, the aim is to gradually increase respiration, heart rate and body temperature in order to acclimatize the body for the strenuous activity ahead. Cooling down on the other hand, reverses the process and gradually decreases all of these rates in order to slowly get the body back to its resting rates. If a strenuous activity is stopped all of a sudden, chances are you will be panting and puffing your way towards relaxation.

• Blood pooling on the legs is a potentially dangerous situation. After a strenuous activity or exercise, the blood is most likely to pool on the legs brought about by constant motion and movement. During cool downs, the muscles of the legs will be able to slowly return the pooled blood to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body.  Dizziness or light headedness is usually caused by lack of cooling down and could be potentially dangerous should you trip over and fall in the workout place.

• Cooling down decreases lactate content in your muscles faster. Lactate is a substance responsible for the stinging sensation you feel on your muscle and blood during an intense workout or game. The faster it is eliminated, the faster you feel the burning and stinging pain slip away.

• Muscle stiffness is very common after working out and strenuous activities. If you fail to relax these muscles and fall asleep, you are in for a big and painful surprise the next day! Stretching and cooling down will help reduce muscle stiffness and make your body ready to face another challenge the next day. It will also make your muscles more resilient and able to handle all the pounding of your workout routine.

• Cooling down decreases the level of adrenaline in the blood which is at its peak during rigorous training and physical activity. By returning the adrenaline levels to more manageable levels, the body then starts to relax and recover.

• Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is a common effect of strenuous activity. This is caused by irritated nerve endings which usually results to bigger muscle development. The time of onset is significantly reduced if a cool down regimen is added after workout and thus muscle healing is faster.

The next time you work out or undergo such activities, be sure to cool down before hitting the showers. A simple 5-15 minutes cool down routine on the treadmill (slower pace) as well as the stationary bike coupled with last minute stretching before calling it a day will go a long way in terms of better coping up by the body.