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It’s easy to want to skip the post-workout routine when you’re crunched for time. Often, it’s more boring than your cardio was, and you don’t feel like you’re doing all that much. But if you don’t treat your body properly after a workoutyou’re really doing yourself a disservice. Here are a few things that there is absolutely NO excuse to skip.
Cool down. I know, it’s easy to want to just go home and shower after your cardio. But if you skip the cool-down, you’re putting yourself at much higher risk for injury. A cool-down period, which could be slowing your speed on the elliptical or walking on the treadmill, lets your heart rate and blood pressure slowly transition back to normal. Most of the time, your cool-down doesn’t need to take more than five minutes.
Stretch those muscles! Like the cool-down period, stretching is essential for injury prevention. Lengthening your muscles at the end of the workout also helps release the tension build up in your muscles, and reduces muscle soreness in the following days. That means could be back in the gym the next day, ready to make up that cardio time you set aside to stretch!
Rinse off. Showering and getting into a clean set of clothes not only helps you avoid the stink of sweat buildup, but it helps prevent yeast infections and bacterial growth. Maybe taking a shower means that you take multiple showers a day, but better to take two showers than get a nasty sweat rash or an unwelcome breakout.
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Eat something. This is one of my biggest problems after a workout. I leave the gym, and no matter how long it’s been since my last meal, I’m never hungry. There are days when I work out and I’m not hungry for the rest of the day. But just because you don’t feel the need to feed doesn’t mean your body doesn’t. Eating a snack rich in carbs and protein after a workout replenishes the energy your body lost, and gives it the ability to repair and build muscle tissue.
Believe it or not, these post-workout steps are just as essential to your workout as the cardio or weight training. If you have to skip something, cut down the cardio. There are plenty of ways to get an effective cardio workout in 20-30 minutes, but there’s no substitute for your body’s recovery.
