More and more people are beginning to understand the benefits of getting and staying fit and how the need for exercise fits into overall fitness. This means that there are more people who are not only joining gyms and exercise programs to get fit, but who are devising their own modes of exercise at home. However, what many people fail to realize is that there is more to exercise than simply doing those jumping jacks, jogging that track or hitting that rowing machine or exercise bike. While doing all those things can help to make you more fit and healthy but if you are doing those things without warming up first and cooling down afterward then you may be setting yourself for pulled muscles and sprains and other painful situations that will stop your exercise routine cold and can even cause you to lose time at work and cost you money in doctor bills.
How Warming Up Can Save You From Injury
When you first get up in the morning or after a long day of work sitting at a desk or even standing to do your job, your muscles tend to stiffen from lack of exercise and movement. This is a natural occurrence that happens to everyone. Even if you don t feel that your muscles are stiff and cold they are. Stiff and cold muscles can only move so far and when pushed past that point, injury such as strains and pains result. In order to prevent those injuries you need to get those muscles warmed up before you start any serious exercise.
There are a variety of ways you can begin to warm up your muscles before you begin exercising them. Walking around to get the blood flowing a little faster while not over extending the muscles, shaking your arms and legs to get your extremities warmed up. The idea behind warming up your muscles is to get the blood flowing a little faster and to provide mild exercise that does not over extend the muscle but, allows it to loosen and move more freely without any pull. Keeping your warmup to low impact activities will help to reduce the chances of pulled and sprained muscles as well.
One of the best ways to get in a little low impact warming up before you exercise is a mini trampoline. Even something as simple as just jumping up and down slowly at first and faster and faster while shaking your hands and arms can help to get the blood flowing to all your extremities and begin loosening your muscles. There have even been special warming up exercises devised for the trampoline that will warm up almost every muscle of your body and get those muscles prepared for whatever exercise you plan on doing whether it is jogging around a track or playing a mean game of tennis or basketball.
So, just remember before you exercise walk it, bounce it and shake it and get those muscles warmed up and blood flowing and chances are you can avoid serious injury and enjoy your exercise sessions much more than you believed possible.
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