With September comes the warmer weather and beginning of longer days. It’s the perfect time to get back into an exercise routine. Here at Granger Chiropractic, we work with many athletes from a wide range of sports, aiding in injury prevention, management and recovery.
A few important tips when exercising:
1. Warm up: Not only does a proper warm up reduce the chance of joint and muscle injury, it prepares the body psychologically and physically for the task ahead.
- A recommended 5-10 minutes of appropriate activity. For Example walking/ jogging, passing, shooting or kicking.
- Enough to increase heart rate and body temperature without breaking a sweat.
2. Always Stretch! Once your muscles have been properly warmed up, stretching helps to:
- Reduce tension
- Increase range of motion within joints
- Prevent muscle strain from occurring
- Increase body awareness
3. Cool Down. Many of us are guilty of skipping this step, busy rushing home or to the next stop. A cool down is equally as important as the warm up!
- A recommended 3-5 minutes of walking or jogging gently bringing your breathing and heart rate back to rest
- Decreasing lactic acids
- Followed by more stretching – being sure to focus on the muscle groups used during the activity, this helps reduce the chance of delayed onset, muscle soreness.
Ask your Chiropractor what you should include in you warm up and cool down for best results.
