You should exercise regularly to keep your body healthy, but exercise can lead to injury if you do it without warming up. To get the most out of your workout, read below for five reasons why you should warm up before you exercise.
Reason #1: Warmups Help With Body Temperature
One reason to warm up before you exercise is that the warmup will increase your body temperature. This will help your muscle temperature rise and make oxygen more available to your muscles, so they can better contract and relax. Your heart will also be more prepared, and you will be able to perform vigorous exercises more easily.
Reason #2: Warmups Lower Your Chance of Injury
You should also warm up beforehand because it is a good way to prevent injury while exercising, whether at home or the gym. By doing drills that use the muscles you will be training during your workout, you will increase the blood flow to those areas and loosen up any tension. This will decrease your chances of tearing or twisting your muscles.
Reason #3: Warmups Help Your Brain
Another good reason why you should warm up before you exercise is that it helps you psychologically. If you move straight into exercising without preparing, there is a good chance you won’t feel like you are in the right mindset and will give up on it early. Warmups put you in the right headspace, making you feel mentally ready to exercise.
Reason #4: Warmups Make You More Flexible
Warmups also can benefit your body by making it more flexible before you exercise. When you stretch, you increase the blood flow to your muscles, which enables your body to be more flexible. This will better your range of movement and lessen the chance of pulling a muscle or hurting your joints.
Reason #5: Warmups Help You Exercise Longer
Finally, when you do a warmup, you will be able to exercise for longer. The build-up of lactic acid in your blood can cause you to experience symptoms such as muscle aches and stomach pain that will shorten your ability to exercise. However, warming up can reduce that build-up, allowing you to do more for longer.
Conclusion
When you warm up, you take the necessary precautions to enhance the quality of your workout. You will maintain your health better and avoid experiencing injuries that could prevent you from getting the exercise you need.
