Why we warm up and stretch

Why do we warm up?  Warming up loosens up the body, gets the blood flowing to your muscles and can help prevent injury.  It gets your heart rate up, which helps prepare your body and mind for the exercise that is coming!

Examples of warm up exercises—marching/jogging on the spot, big arm circles, reaching up to the sky and then bending to touch your toes, squats, lunges, butt kicks - see the video above. Anything that will get you feeling warm!!

After your workout, a good stretch allows the body to cool down.  Stretching after a workout helps to reduce muscle fatigue, releases the lactic acid build up in your muscles (which occurs during an intense workout), and allows muscles recovery and repair.

Using a foam roller can compliment your stretching routine, helping to speed up the recovery of your muscles. Click here for diagrams & instructions on how to stretch and massage out your muscles using your foam roller

If you fancy a really good stretch session, click play on one of the stretch sessions below. Maybe you’ve got tight calves or tight hammies, are you’re just after a nice flow instead of a hard core workout. Enjoy the stretch sessions videos below.

Sarah Xx