Doing Body Workout With Proper Cool Down Exercises

While warming up is important before you begin any body workout exercise, it is also important that you cool your body down upon completing your session. Cooling down allows your body to gradually return back to its normal resting state, and calm the rapid blood flow to your heart.

Avoid ending a workout abruptly, especially if it is a vigorous activity with a workout machine. When we suddenly stop without a gradual cool down our blood pressure drops, which could cause dizziness or fainting. A proper cool-down prevents sudden pooling of blood after activity and re-circulates it back to the heart, muscles and brain.

Cool Down exercises for homebody workout:

Here are some cool down exercises to try at home. Ideally, a cool-down should consist of five to 10 minutes of jogging or walking and five to 10 minutes of stretching. However, that is just a guideline, and similar to warm-ups, cool downs are also individually based. Here are some examples for cool-down exercises:

- Tai Chi. If you know martial arts at all, slow controlled movements allows the body to moderately cool down all together. (I.e. Fitness instructor Billy Blanks is notorious for his Tai Chi component at the end of every body workout.)

- Aerobics. Yoga, pilates, etc. are another alternative for progressively relaxing your body.

- Easy jog/walk, either on the treadmill or outside for some fresh air.

- Stretching. Great for helping you gradually bring your heart rate down. Static stretches (holding each stretch for 10 - 20 seconds), and working your way from the head down are suitable as part of cooling down.

Tips for after body workout:

- Drink water. Helps hydrate your body and flushes out any bodily toxins created during the workout.

- Eat a healthy snack within half an hour of your completed workout session. Replenish the energy that you used up, because while many people think that they should avoid eating after working out to lose weight – it’s actually the opposite. Within that half-hour window, consumed food gets turned into energy rather than stored fat; however, one should be reasonable and avoid junk food.