Don't forget to warm up, right? Why, how

Although most of the people have heard that it is good to warm up before exercising, many still do not realize how IMPORTANT it actually is and what kind of processes go in your body. So, here's a simple and clear explanation. I hope after reading this, you will NEVER FORGET to warm up anymore. 

Why do we need to warm up?

Imagine you are in a deep sleep and at 3 am the door bell starts ringing and you have to jump out of bed and into some decent clothes. This is the same stress your body goes through if you do not prepare it for an intensive sport activity. It would be better if you know you have 5 minutes to wake up before your visitor comes, right?

Warming up means doing light exercises before heavy sport and helps you perform on the best level your body could possibly do. Incorporating a warm-up routine before exercising (running, gym, hiit, skiing, etc) when you will be intensively using your muscles gives you these benefits:

• Flexibility - Sends blood to all parts and muscles in your body, improving the blood circulation, which results in more flexibility in the muscles
• Heart rate - the proper blood circulation protects the hearts and improves its activity during the main exercises. 
• Agility - Muscles are enriched with oxygen and nutrients to help you not get tired too quickly during the main exercise activity
• Prevents injuries - muscle warm up actually prevents from joint injuries
• Temperature raise - a warm up routine raises the temperature of your body gradually, which prepares it to burn more calories
• Mental preparation - light exercises beforehand help you prepare mentally for the main activity. In this way your concentration is most likely to improve

How long do I need to warm up ?

The warm up routine should normally last between 10 to 20 minutes. 

How to warm up?

The idea of the warming up process is that you gradually get to the high level of intensity required in the main sport activity. So, start with less intense exercises, such as stretch, slow jog, slow jump rope, bicycle - and gradually increase the tempo of the activity or change with faster jumps, high knees, jumping jacks. 

Stretching

When you stretch, make sure to stretch all muscles and warm up all your joints. 

Start with your neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, knees and ankles. Do circles  - 8 in one direction and then 8 in the other direction. 

Then, start stretching your arms and back for about  2 minutes. The cat stretch is a very good way to stretch your back. 

Expect soon available visual explanations. 

Continues with your legs. The muscles you should make sure to stretch are:

- quadriceps

- hamstrings

- inner thighs  

- calves 

You got it, right? Now keep it going.

L. 

Resources:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/why-you-should-always-be-warming-up-and-cooling-down-while-working-out.html#b
http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=10
http://beta.active.com/articles/triathlon/the-real-reason-you-should-warm-up