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Before beginning an any workout it is important to warm up for at least 10-15 minutes.
The purpose of warming up is to slightly increase your heart rate. This raises your core body temperature, increases the blood flow, and therefore the oxygen flow, to your muscles preparing them for a harder workout. Warming up also increases joint and muscle flexibility which will help with injury prevention during the workout.
Warm ups should include the general movement of large muscle groups, sport specific movements that will be part of the aerobic workout to come, and stretching. You can start with the head and work down into all major muscle groups of the body. A sign that you have reached the goal of the warm up phase of your workout is a light sweat that covers your body. You should begin feeling a general loosening and relaxation of the muscles.
Young children and older adults may not need to warm up as long as others. Children's muscles are still growing and should not be overworked. Too much stretching can tear developing muscle tissue. Older adults' muscles become softer during the aging process and require less stretching.
Cooldown is important after your body has reached it's target heart rate and kept it there for at least 20 minutes. Five to ten minutes of slowing down your movements will reduce your pulse and return the blood to your heart in amounts sufficient to help prevent muscle fatigue from lactic acid build up. If you feel the pain of lactic acid build up, gradually cool down. Begin walking around slowly and stretch. This will help the pain disappear more quickly than if you stop suddenly.
Stopping suddenly or sitting down immediately after an aerobic workout will cause the blood to pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart. This can cause dizziness, nausea, or tiredness after a workout.
Stretching at the end of your cooldown will help avoid tightness and soreness in your muscles. This is also a good time to concentrate on increasing flexibility
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