5 Reasons Why "Warming Up" Makes Your Workout More Effective
We all have limited time to fit our workouts in and most of the time we just want to get to it. The faster we get into our workout, the faster we can get it done, right? We can also get MORE in during the time we do have available. However, there are some very important reasons to incorporate a warm-up into your daily routine.
1. Wake up! If you prefer to workout first thing in the morning, you will need this time to wake your body up. It’s hard on the body to go from sleeping to high-intensity exercise.
2. Prevent Injuries: By starting too quickly you increase your chance of muscle soreness and injury following your workout, both short-term and long-term. Injuries=rest time. This impacts your ability to continue to work toward your fitness goals.
3. Increase Heart Rate and Blood Flow to Working Muscles: While at rest, your blood vessels in your skeletal muscles are in a constricted state. By allowing them dilate, or open up, slowly as you increase your body temperature, you will create a more efficient environment for oxygen and nutrient transfer into your working muscles.
4. Flexibility. Once your muscles are warmed up they become more elastic making it a good time to improve your flexibility.
5. Cardiac Performance: Studies have shown that sudden intense exercise can create abnormal ECG changes indicating low blood flow to the heart. These results were not due to age or fitness levels. The heart is the most important muscle in our body. If it’s blood flow is compromised, it can not only lead to cardiac events, but it also limits the heart’s ability to contract properly and supply the rest of the body with the proper amount of blood flow.
So, take at least 5 minutes at the beginning of your workout. Walk, bike, or jog at an easy pace. Do arm circles. Try to mimic movements that you may be performing throughout your workout, just in an easy, low intensity fashion. Focus on a fluid range of motion activities to get your heart and muscles warmed up and ready for a more effective workout!
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