What are the benefits to a warm-up and cool down when exercising?
Warming up gives your body the necessary time to get ready for the higher demands you will be placing upon it during the exercise session. Benefits of a warm up include gradually increasing heart rate and respiratory rate, increasing tissue temperature and psychological preparation for the exercise session. It is also thought to help prevent injury when gradually easing into a higher level of demand on the body. Your warm up should be at least 10 minutes of low to moderate intensity activity. Likewise the cool down allows your body to transition back into a resting state. You also need to allow 5-10 minutes at the end of the workout for this very important phase. This helps to gradually bring the heart rate and respiratory rate back to a resting state. Additionally, if you just stop moving after working out at a high intensity, your blood might pool in your legs because your stop in movement inhibited circulation. This can cause dizziness and fainting. It is also a good time to incorpo
