Getting Started
Stretching
Stretching is a form of fitness exercise in which a muscle is deliberately elongated to its fullest length in order to improve that muscle’s elasticity and confirm its muscle tone. Because of this, stretching is a vital part of beginning any fitness exercise workout. Popular belief dictates that stretching before activity not only prevents injury, but enhances athletic performance. In our flexibility exercise section, we discuss three types of workouts that involve stretching: yoga, Pilates and tai-chi Flexibility exercising is a great way to increase blood flow in the muscles during the off days of working out.
When you stretch you should be stretching to just before the point of discomfort. As you hold the stretch, the tightness should diminish. Make sure to breathe out as you stretch to maximize effectiveness. Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds before releasing; perform 3 sets of each stretch before moving on to the next fitness exercise.
Warm-Up
Performing a warm-up exercise before a workout prepares both your mind and your body for the physical strain that is about to come. Warming up consists of doing light exercise for 5-10 minutes to increase the blood flow to your muscles while slowly increasing your heart rate. The benefits of warming up prior to exercise for fast weight loss are vast:
- Your body releases adrenaline
- Heart rate increases
- Oxygen in the blood travels at a greater speed and rate
- Allows joins to move efficiently
- Muscle temperate increases
- Encourages greater extensibility and elasticity of muscle fibers
- Increases the speed and force of muscle contraction
- Increase muscle metabolism
- Supplies your body with energy
- Increases the speed of nerve impulses
- Decreases the probability of injury during regular workout
Cool Down
Cooling down refers to the process of doing light fitness exercise to bring your body back to a resting state after an intensive workout. Cooling down typically combines light exercises with relaxed breathing techniques to calm the body and decrease the heart rate. Cooling down should last around 5-10 minutes and helps to remove the lactic acid from the muscles that is known to cause cramps and stiffness.
Cooling down involves a gradual, continuous decrease in exercise intensity. An example of this is doing a light jog or brisk walk after a run, followed by stretching and hydration.
