Yesterday I talked about warming up. Let us see today how to do this in a proper manner.
Basically, it can be done in any procedure that allows the heart to beat faster. One can simply walk and jog, or if a cardiovascular equipment is available, it can be used. It is important to start at slowly and then gradually increase the pace until heart beat rate increases and the body temperature rises. Note that the pace should be in accordance to one’s current fitness level, where the activity will leave the person energized and not exhausted.
This should take generally about 3-5 minutes and longer if you are in a colder climate. After working up a light sweat, you should so some stretching. Stretching helps in developing overall flexibility, mainly in the spine, shoulder, and hip areas. The kind of stretching depends on the type of activity a person plans to take on to. For example, if one is about to play sports, the recommended kind of stretching would be the ones that are similar to that particular sports in slow motion. Make sure that the main muscles groups are stretched for 8 seconds minimum. Keep the feet moving or do leg exercises whenever the upper body is stretched. This prevents blood from collecting in the legs. Remember, one should only do stretching if the muscles are already warmed up. Do not bounce while stretching. It leads to a contraction that can result in muscle tear or pull.
Once you are done with warming up, you can proceed to do the main work out.
Did you know that just as warming up is important, it is also essential to have a cool down after you are through with the exercise. If you stop the vigorous work out suddenly then blood collects in the muscle and oxygen is blocked. When this happens, a person runs the risk of having a heart attack.
In another post I will talk about cooling down.
As a youngster, I used to watch my father exercise in the afternoons. It was something of a duty to him. While he was at it, he would not talk to anyone. He would just concentrate on what he was doing. I thought that he was taking this thing rather seriously. My siblings and I would have some fun and imitate him. We would purposely fall over each other and then throw into a fit of laughter. Through all this, my father would tighten his lips and continue as if we were not there. He would do the push ups, the jogging, he even used to stand up side down for a few minutes. Watching him, I would wonder what all this really means to him. One of the things that I noticed is that at the start of his daily regime, he would do some light excercises which, as a child, seemed rather hilarious. He would skip a bit, jump at a steady pace, stretch himself and would do all kinds of stuff but only not so vigourous. These I came to know were warm ups. I learnt later on that they formed an important part of starting the excercise.
Due to lifestyle changes, people have taken to exercising regularly. This is not a bad thing but the point to remember is that certain things need to be taken care of when working out. One of this is warming up. It is a crucial step that should be discussed. Many have repeatedly ignored the warming up stage before working out, not knowing the consequences in doing so.
Why do we need to warm up? Well when we start the physical activity, several changes takes place in the body. The respiratory rate, blood flow, and oxygen and nutrient levels delivered to the cells increases. These changes should be The rate of increase should be steadily regulated in order to prepare the body for the stress that the exercise will bring about. If one ignores this procedure, then the body will not function efficiently and the work out will not produce the quality results. Warming up is like an preliminary training for the body as a whole, including the nervous system, heightens mental awareness and the alertness. It loosens up joints and muscles to make them less prone to injuries. Warm ups jump starts the fluid in the joints, thus minimizing the risk for wear and tear of the muscles. Additionally it gives the heart a proper time to adjust and pump up blood and nutrients into muscles. Starting strenuous exercise without warming up maybe be detrimental to the overall health and may more damaging than not exercising.
For older people, warming up before exercising is vital. Their tissues are less supple and joints have less fluid and weaker hearts. Jumping into vigorous work out can trigger a heart attack.
I learnt early on that exercise is the key to good health. At 8 or 9 years of age, watching my father, it was not ingrained on us, that it was not the import, but it was a way for me to be close to him.
Since this is an important topic, I will continue more of this tomorrow. Stay tuned
