Proper Warm-Up and Cool Down.

Spring is in the air and it is now a great time to get outside and get some physical activity.

However, before moving too quickly it is important to properly warm-up and cool-down your body to increase blood flow to the muscles and quickly remove by-products, such as lactate, from the muscles which can lead to muscle stiffness.

Here are some quick tips so you can recover quicker and have a more enjoyable exercise experience:

1. The warm-up should GRADUALLY increase your heart rate and mimic the activity you will be doing. Therefore, if you are going to hike a mountain, try to start on flat-terrain for 5-10 minutes before climbing in elevation. If playing tennis, start with some light walking or jogging, then get into some volleying that will eventually mimic the level of play.

2. The cool-down is designed to prevent sudden "pooling" of blood in the veins while continuing a proper circulation of blood through the skeletal muscles and heart and brain. This can reduce delayed on-set muscle soreness as well as dizziness or fainting after exercise. The "cool down" should be similar to the warm-up but move in the other direction and slow the heart-rate back to resting. It is important to note that STRETCHING IS NOT A PROPER COOL-DOWN, one must move to keep the blood circulating, thus reducing pooling and by-product accumulation.