The Most Often Neglected Portion Of Your Workout
One of the most often neglected portions of a workout is the cool down. I often find myself paying a lot of attention during the warm-up, the slow start, the building to my maximum output for the day, and the slide down the other side. But, the cool down is often just filled with huffing and puffing and looking forward to it being over.
Not good.
The cool down is how you get your body back into a reduced rhythm after a strenuous bout of exercise without a shock to the system. It’s just as important as any other portion of your routine, and deserves the same level of respect and mindfulness.
A great workout is not measured by the crescendo alone, nor by numbers on a tally sheet, but by the effectiveness of all parts of the workout.
A good cool down should leave you smiling and energized, ready to walk out into the rest of your day.
During the cool down portion of my workout I try to remain mindful of how my body is feeling. Feeling my heart beat, checking in with the richness of my breath, listening for the blood flow in my ears. I consciously slow down to a nice easy stop. Just like braking a car, the goal is not to screech to a halt, but to come to a nice gentle place of rest.
When I properly manage my cool down I find myself less mentally out of it post workout, I can feel all the happiness I’ve let my body experience and I can more easily jump into the rest of my day. Best of all, my muscles are not as tore up the next day and I can more easily stack on another workout.
What are some of your tricks for a successful cool down?
Comment from esther
Time September 29, 2009 at 6:23 pm
chi gung! or walking while quietly bringing myself out of meditation and into observation of the immediate environment. oh, and mindfully contemplating what’s for breakfast! yum.