Whether you're completing a marathon or finishing up a quick jog around the block, making sure your muscles and joints cool down properly is an essential step for staying healthy. The cool down period lets your blood flow properly and maintains steady circulation. This is an important step after any activity and is part of the natural recovery process. An effective cool down can help you build strength, endurance and also protects muscles and joints. Here are some effective strategies for cooling down after running.
Instructions
1. Begin with a five to eight minute jog or light walk. Steadily lowering your heart rate can help your body wind down after physical activity, and this is the healthiest strategy for maintaining steady circulation as well.
2. Breathe deeply. Make sure your body can supply enough oxygen and blood to all your muscles for recovery by taking deep breaths. You can combine this with stretching exercises in the next step.
3. Stretch core muscle groups. Begin a stretching routine that stretches out core muscle groups such as your thighs, calves, abdominals and back and hold each pose for at least 15 to 30 seconds. You can also stretch your arms, shoulders and chest muscles in succession to cool down each area of your body with ease.
4. Drink water. Drinking water will help replenish lost fluids in muscles and joints and can help you cool down naturally. This is especially important for long-distance runs and jogging that causes you to sweat.
5. Stay warm. Put on a sweatshirt or sweatpants to keep your muscles warm. This helps improve your stretches and can prevent muscle soreness.
6. Keep moving for at least 10 to 20 minutes. Depending on how vigorous your run, you'll need to keep moving to maintain steady circulation and reduce your risk of injury. Stand up, move around and walk slowly to keep your energy up as you cool down.
Tags: cool down, muscles joints, steady circulation, your body, your muscles