After a workout there are certain things that should be done. If not, then you could land up injuring your body. A workout takes up a lot of energy and effort from your body. So it becomes almost a necessity to replenish or repair the body.
Here are 6 things that should be included in our after workout list of activities:
- Stretch
When we workout at the gym, we stretch out muscles at various angles. So it is a good thing to stretch and unknot or untangle it.
To reduce the pain after a workout, stretches are very important; else you will suffer from soreness all day.
Not stretching leaves your muscles sore, stiff, and causes stress on the joints that leaves you prone to injury of the muscles.
- Cool down
Intense exercises causes your heart beat to soar and even the blood vessels in your legs to expand.
If you suddenly stop the activity you will be prone to dizziness as you apply sudden intense pressure to the heart that also results in blood vessel collection in the legs causing your blood pressure suddenly to plummet.
- Hydrate
While working out we lose a lot of fluids from out body, as we sweat it out.
So after the workout it is essential we replace all the lost fluids and salts by drinking plenty of water.
- Refuel with protein and carb rich foods
When you eat protein and carbs immediately after a workout it helps your muscles recover and also change the ratio of fat and muscles.
It shifts the muscle loss and instead feeds the muscles.
- Wash away bacteria
Remaining in your sweaty clothes after a long workout session will only encourage the growth of bacteria and cause various skin infections that include herpes, ringworm, athlete’s foot etc…
- Wear compression clothing
Wearing compression clothing after a workout will help drain the metabolic waste from your body and even lead more oxygenated blood to your muscles that help in its healing or recovery.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf