The importance of warming up
A guest blog post from a local osteopath, Ann Nolan from Dembones clinic (based at Chilli Pilates in Welwyn Garden City) on the importance of warming up before you exercise
As we look to make the most of the warm weather and prepare for holidays, many
people are looking to increase their exercise levels around now. Most of us know that warming up before exercise is important. Any serious athlete does it before a match or race.
But can be all too easy to treat the warm-up as something to be rushed through
before the real work starts. Bur a proper warm-up is important both to prevent
injuries and to help you perform at your best.
Here are 5 reasons why the warm-up is so important
Good for the heart
5 to 10 mins of light cardio increases your
heart rate and gets blood pumping, preparing your heart for the effort
coming up.
Muscle Prep
Increased blood
flow around your body increases oxygen &
nutrients to muscles, warming them & preparing them for
activity.
Warms the joints
Making them more
loose and supple, this allows for easier (and less painful)
movement and will also reduce your risk of injury from your workout.
Mental Prep
This can be a great way to get your mind as well as your body
ready and in the zone for a great workout and energise yourself from head to toe
What to do for your warm up
In general, the best warm-up for a given sport or workout is to perform the movements you will do but at a slower pace.
This allows you to build up the intensity and heart rate slowly over several minutes. A good warm-up will leave you breaking into a sweat.
Good warm exercises will depend on your level of fitness and you may need to start with some good stretches.
Other options including walking, skipping, jumping jacks, leg swings or arm swings depending on what you are doing.
The NHS advises a 6 minute warm-up routine. outlined on its website.
Overdone it?
If you are experiencing pain, an osteopathic treatment can help you in improving posture, mobility, stability and your daily comfort. Ann also offers acupuncture, cyclo massage and foot health along with Pilates Mat exercises for rehab and core stability.
Know someone who’s suffering in silence? Ann offers new clients a 30-min low priced posture assessment at £10, the cost of which can be credited towards any future treatments.
Call Ann today on 07949 936 534 to book an assessment.
