Don’t forget to warm up and warm down – every time!
Warming up your muscles for 5 to 10 minutes before you start your physical activity or sport is extremely important. It help your muscles adjust to the exercise you’ll be doing and is a great way to slowly increase your heart rate.
Of equal importance is cooling or warming down after exertion to help your heart rate and breathing return to resting levels gradually. It also helps avoid any feelings of faintness or dizziness which can result from blood pooling in the large muscles of the legs when vigorous activity is stopped suddenly and also helps reduce lactic acid which may have built up during the period of activity.