Be a star and do some jumps

Larissa and a client

Today is the first piece of advice from The Central Nest’s personal trainer, Larissa Beer of Larissa Beer Personal Training. Here she tries to drill into us why warming up is such an important part of exercise!

A good warm up gradually increases your heart rate, increases circulation to the muscles, and will mentally prepare you for your workout.

I love this example, if you think of your muscles as a piece of cheese, when you take it out of the fridge its cold, it will crumble and break. However, if you place it in the microwave for a few seconds, it will become stretchy and pliable, the same principle apply for the body.

If you jump straight into a full-on workout without warming up, the muscles are cold therefore the chances or injury are greater. Walking or a simple jog on the spot for 5 to 10 minutes will increase blood flow and warm the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Once this is done your body will thank you and perform better.

It is important to remember that warming up and cooling down with also help your body recover quicker after your workout.

Here are some basic warm-up exercises you can try:

* Jogging on spot

* Star jumps

* Walking

* Arm crosses (stretch arms out wide then cross them over your body as if you were giving yourself a hug)

* Hip circles

* Knee circles

* High kicks

A warm up activity should be included into an exercise and training routine as it prepares the body for activity and helps prevent injury to the muscles.

Enjoy your workout!