Is Post-Workout Cool Down Necessary?

Working out is an important part of our lives; it brings lots of benefits to our bodies and health and it is great for our psychic and mood.

After a working out session, the first urge is to jump into a cold shower and relieve all that heat and cool yourself out but that is not exactly wise, because what you do after working out is as important as what you do during this process to get the best results, and here’s why it’s not so wise to jump into a cold shower:

a) First of all, if you stop too sudden from of a great effort there’s the risk of getfting a dropped blood pressure and your blood could gather in your legs, so in order to prevent such thing, you should continue with an easy walk for 5 minutes after running or some stretching out after cardio or strength training, also 5-10 minutes.

This way you’ll relax all that tension from the workout, avoid next-day soreness and help expediting the healing process of muscles that start to break down from the effort. It is advisable that you alternate the hot water with the cold water, during the shower to keep the blood flowing from one extreme to another, for muscle recovery and against the inflammation after work out.

b) Also, you should not rush into drinking a lot of water after the workout. We know you’ve dehydrated a lot but drink small portions and allow your body to steady its heartbeats and get back to a normal function, before filling the water gap in your body.

In 15-30 minutes, after the workout, your body’s metabolic window will be open and that’s the perfect time to drink water and a protein shake as well, to rebuild your muscles. If a shake is too much you could have chocolate milk for energy.

c) Getting a full massage can also help, or rolling a foam roller under your back and neck will do the trick as well if you can’t have a full massage. Don’t forget to rest well and eat well, if you want to keep your tonus and be healthy looking and glowing.