If you’re like most runners, you probably do not spend much time on a cool-down routine post your runs.
But did you know that cooling down is actually one of the most important things you can do after a run?
When you finish a run, it’s important to take a few minutes to do a cooldown exercise. This helps your body recover and prevents injuries.
Let’s understand how!
- Your body needs time to adjust from the high intensity of running to a lower level of activity. If you stop too suddenly, your blood pressure can drop and you may feel dizzy or lightheaded.
- Even if you do not feel dizzy or lightheaded, the sudden blood pressure drop does put a lot of strain on your heart. And over time this strain, like everything else, can get accumulated and start causing problems.
- Cooldown exercise gradually gives your body time to recover and prevents blood from pooling in your legs. It also helps to flush out toxins that build up during exercise. It gets all the more important if your workout is constituted of tempo or speed runs, high interval intensity training, etc.
- Also after those long slow runs, spending sufficient time stretching the entire chain of muscles can make a big difference in how you feel later on.
Some of the highly recommended cool-down exercises:
- Hip circles
- Lunge and twist
- Torso rotations
- Standing hamstring stretch
- Sitting hamstring stretch
- Simple standing quad stretch
- Standing calf stretch
- Downward dog
- Pigeon pose
So next time you finish a run, take a couple of minutes to cool down and stretch out your muscles. You can also create your custom cooldown workout routine to perform after your run with the O’Coach custom workout app. Trust us your body will thank you for it!