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Many people dismiss the cool down as a waste of time, or simply unimportant. In reality the cool down is just as important as the warm up, and if you want to stay injury free, it's vital.
Although the warm up and cool down are just as important as each other, they are important for different reasons. While the main purpose of warming up is to prepare the body and mind for strenuous activity, cooling down plays a different role.
Why Cool Down?
The main aim of the cool down is to promote recovery and return the body to a pre exercise, or pre-workout level. During a strenuous workout your body goes through a number of stressful processes, muscle fibers, tendons and ligaments get damaged, and waste products build up within your body. The cool down, performed properly, will assist your body in its repair process.
One area the cool down will help with is "post exercise muscle soreness." This is the soreness that is usually experienced the day after a tough workout. Most people experience this after having a lay-off from exercise, or at the beginning of their sports season. I remember running a half marathon with limited preparation, and finding it difficult to walk down steps the next day because my quadriceps were so sore.
Post exercise muscle soreness is caused by a number of things. Firstly, during exercise, tiny tears called micro tears develop within the muscle fibers. These micro tears cause swelling of the muscle tissues which in turn puts pressure on the nerve endings and results in pain.
Secondly, when exercising, your heart is pumping large amount of blood to the working muscles. This blood is carrying both oxygen and nutrients that the working muscles need. When the blood reaches the muscles the oxygen and nutrients are used up. Then the force of the contracting (exercising) muscles pushes the blood back to the heart where it is re-oxygenated.
However, when the exercise stops, so does the force that pushes the blood back to the heart. This blood, as well as waste products like lactic acid, stays in the muscles, which in turn causes swelling and pain. This process is often referred to as "blood pooling."
So, the cool down helps all this by keeping the blood circulating, which in turn helps to prevent blood pooling and also removes waste products from the muscles. This circulating blood also brings with it the oxygen and nutrients needed by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair.
The Key Parts of an Effective Cool Down
Now that we know what the cool down does and why it is so important, let’s have a look at the structure of an effective cool down. There are three key elements, or parts, which should be included to ensure an effective and complete cool down. They are;
1. Gentle exercise;
2. Stretching; and
3. Re-fuel.
All three parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All three elements work together to repair and replenish the body after exercise.
To follow are two examples of effective cool downs. The first is an example of a cool down used by a professional athlete. The second is typical of someone who simply exercises for general health, fitness and fun.
Example Cool Down Routines
Example 1: - For the Professional
• 10 to 15 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.
• Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.
• Follow with about 20 to 30 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is best at this time.
• Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.
Example 2: - For the Amateur
• 3 to 5 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.
• Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.
• Follow with about 5 to 10 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is best at this time.
• Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.
Getting serious about your cool down and following the above examples will make sure you recover quicker from your workouts and stay injury free.
About the Author: Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a prominent Australian sports trainer with more than 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Brad is a Health Science graduate of the University of New England and has postgraduate accreditations in athletics, swimming and triathlon coaching. Visit http://www.TheStretchingHandbook.com
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The eyes contain many small muscles, and there is no doubt that eye exercises can do little harm to your eyes, but can they actually be of benefit?
A New York ophthalmologist called Dr William Bates, developed a series of eye exercises to improve eyesight without resorting to lenses or surgery. Dr Bates felt that many eye problems had their root causes in stress, tension and laziness of the eye and he thought that because of these causes, the eyes could be treated without correction such as lenses, spectacles or even surgery. Dr Bates' methods were first devised at the beginning of the 20th century, but many people still practice them today.
Dr Bates' theory revolved around the notion that the muscles of the eye became fixed on a scene causing strain to the eyes. Dr Bates felt that the eyes could be re-trained to relax and improve the link between the optic nerves and the brain.
Dr Bates' theories have been largely ignored by the world of medicine. However, many people around the world have claimed remarkable improvements in short sight, long sight, astigmatism, squints and lazy eyes using these methods. Even young children are able to practice the exercises and people with normal vision may improve concentration, reading skills and co-ordination by following the routines suggested by Dr Bates.
In essence, you can expect to perform some simple exercises for about half an hour a day. These can involve some of the following:-
• 'Palming.'
To rest and relax your eyes, sit comfortably in front of a table, resting your elbows on a stack of cushions high enough to bring your palms easily to your eyes without stooping forward or looking up. Close your eyes and cover them with your cupped palms to exclude light, avoiding pressure on the sockets. Breathe slowly and evenly, relaxing and imagining deep blackness. Begin by doing this for 10 minutes, two or three times a day.
• 'Swinging.'
Relax and keep the eyes mobile. Stand up and focus on a distant point, swaying gently from side to side. Repeat 100 times daily, blinking as you sway. Blinking cleans and lubricates the eyes, which is especially important if you spend a lot of time in front of a computer.
• You may be asked to have a 'colour day.' Choose a colour and look out for it throughout the day. When you see it, be aware of the colour rather than the form. For example, if it's a red truck, experience the shade of red, not the truck.
Why not try some of these exercises yourself?
See Clearly Method
The See Clearly Method is another popular series of exercises and training to help with vision correction. Similarly to the Bates' method, you are required to do 30 minutes of eye exercises a day to strengthen and enhance the flexibility of the eye's muscles. This would usually involve making the eye change it's focus from near to far for example. One simple way of doing this would be to hold a small object in your hand and slowly move it away from your face, ensuring that your eye follows the object and retains focus upon it.
One exercise which is know as "tromboning" has you hold a small object again, starting at arm's length. Then you need to breath in and move the object slowly closer to your face, until it touches your nose. You are then required to breath out, looking at the object as you again move it away from your face. Hence the notion of "Tromboning".
The See Clearly Method also employs a number of techniques which are aimed at accelerating progress or improvement. For example, there is a technique referred to as the "blur reading" technique, which asks you to turn a magazine upside-down at a distance where the words are not distinct. Then, you are supposed to choose one word and focus your attention around it, to see if you can identify any of the letters.
As with the Bates' Method, the eye exercises suggested in the See Clearly Method are certainly worthy of a go to see if they help you at all.
About the Author: Improve the health of your eyes or just get a great new look with special effects contact lenses. You can visit fx-eyes.com to read about eye exercises at http://www.fx-eyes.com/eye_exercises.html. Distributed by:www.webmasterinfoandcontent.com Html
Creatine is an amino acid that is in meat and fish. It is produced by the body in the liver and kidneys and converted in the muscles to creatine phosphate to resupply them with their source of energy.
Intense exercise depletes muscles of creatine. By taking creatine as a supplement you can increase the supply to the muscles. Daily food consumption meets the body’s creatine requirements for normal function, but for athletes who are participating in short-term burst of energy for workouts or sports high levels of creatine are needed.
Research on creatine over the past two decades have found that supplementation is best for those who workout three or more times a week.. Studies show that supplementing with creatine will:
- make muscles bigger and stronger ( a two to three pound of lean body mass is gained on average)
- increase performance in short-term activities such as weight lifting five to ten percent.
The results of creatine supplementation can be seen usually within as little as five days.
There have been reports of minor side effects from creatine such as cramping and upset stomach. Drinking extra water may control these side effects. Taking 40 or more grams of creatine in a day may cause kidney or liver damage.
Creatine is available in capsules, liquid, or powder. Powder can be mixed with water or juice. Creatine works best when mixed with a liquid carbohydrate such as juice, by doing this you can increase the muscle’s absorption of creatine up to 60 percent. It’s important to follow the loading instructions on the label of creatine supplements. Always consult your health car provider before using any supplement.
About the Author: Josie Anderson is a personal trainer and is the owner of http://www.weight-loss-program-101.com providing weight loss resources to help with many weight loss goals. Distributed by:www.webmasterinfoandcontent.com