The article teaches you how to lose weight by preventing injuries.
Exercise is vital to losing and keeping off pounds. Exercise can be broken down into strength training exercises, core training exercises, and aerobic exercises. However, there are activities associated with exercise that must not be overlooked. These activities include warming up, cooling down, stretching, breathing, and staying hydrated.
Warming Up
Before you start any physical activity you should warm up. A warm up allows your body to gradually get ready for your planned activity. A warm up slowly raises your heart rate and increases the blood flow to your muscles.
Your warm up should be at least 5 minutes. Light aerobic activities, such as walking or light jogging are excellent warm-up options. The key is to choose an activity that slowly raises your heart rate and body temperature. Warm-ups decrease your risk of getting injured and decrease post-workout soreness.
Cooling Down
After you have finished any physical activity, you should cool down. A cool down allows your body to gradually return to your resting state. A cool down allows your heart rate to slowly lower and the blood flow to your muscles to slowly decrease.
Your cool down should be at least 5 minutes. Light aerobic activities, such as walking or light jogging are also excellent cool-down options. The key is to choose an activity that allows your heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature to return to normal. Cool-downs decrease your risk of getting injured and decrease post-workout soreness.
Stretching
Stretching is an essential part of you activity plan. Stretching will improve flexibility, improve your range of motion, decrease your risk of getting injured and decrease post-workout soreness.
The best time to stretch is after your cool-down, because your muscles are still warm. Stretching a cold muscle can lead to injury. When stretching, hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds, do not bounce, and do breathe normally.
Breathing
Breathing is very important when you are resting and even more important while you work out. Breathing provides your brain and muscles with the oxygen you need to continue exercising. You should pay attention to how you breathe when doing aerobic exercises and strength training.
While doing aerobic exercises it is normal for your respiratory rate to increase, because your body needs more oxygen. However, if you are breathing so fast that you cannot carry on a conversation, you should decrease the intensity of the aerobic activity.
While strength training, you should inhale and exhale with every repetition. Never hold your breathe. Remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It is also a good idea to exhale as you contract your muscles and inhale as you relax them.
Staying Hydrated
Drinking fluids is a must when engaging in any physical activity. Dehydration will slow you down and cause you to burn less calories. If you are working out for an hour or less, fill a one liter bottle with water and drink it throughout your workout.
If you are working out for more than an hour or if you are working outdoors in warm weather, consider drinking a low calorie sports drink instead of water. Sports drinks replace the electrolytes lost through sweat much faster than water.
To lose and keep the pounds off you must exercise. However, if you want to stay safe and be a successful pound loser, you will have to address other associated activities. Remember to warm up cool down, stretch, breathe, and stay hydrated.
About The Author:
Kalvin Chinyere, M.D., fondly known as Dr. Kal, is a weight loss expert and the creator of The Don't Go Broke Diet. Dr. Kal was an overweight child, an obese teen and a morbidly obese adult. He tipped the scale at over 330 pounds. Dr. Kal has since lost and kept off over 140 pounds naturally. Learn more about the Don't Go Broke Diet at his weight loss blog and his weight loss program website.
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