Warming up – an essential part of exercise

[17 January 2012 - 15h18]

As the name suggests, the point of warming up is to “heat” the body and to get the circulation going before starting on sustained exercise. Some people underestimate the importance of this and launch straight into exercise, bypassing this essential preparation phase. Yet just a few minutes warming up could spare you a number of potential problems…

Gentle rowing or pedalling and running in short bursts are all excellent ways of warming up. Ideally, the warm up period should be equivalent to around 10% of the time set aside for exercise. So, if you are getting ready to exercise for an hour, you should warm up for 6 minutes first. This short period will help you avoid the muscle strain that often results from starting to exercise too quickly or too sharply. A slow and rigorous preparation will, on the other hand, make your muscles better able to withstand effort. And it is useful to bring your body slowly up to a higher temperature. This can only benefit your heart and will avoid any sudden and intense demands being made of it, thus limiting cardiovascular risk.

Don’t forget that the ambient temperature and the weather can affect the warming up process. In cold, rainy conditions, you should increase the time you set aside to warm up. It is also advisable to wear warm clothing during your warm up as it will help to raise your temperature and will also help you to retain this heat for longer.

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