Just like a warm up, a cool down is also not that exciting but essential!
Being the opposite to a warm down, a cool down returns tour body back to a more relaxed resting state after being a period of exercise.
By not cooling down properly, your body may not properly disperse a build of lactic acid and toxins that are built up through exercise.
By also abruptly ending exercise without a period of cooling and slowing down, you muscles will suddenly stop contracting which can cause blood to pool at the lower half of your body and this can cause you to faint.
Your muscles and joints can be sore due to the lactic acid build up and you can create many strains and injuries long term by not cooling down effectively.
Cooling down can be repeating your warm up, focusing on slowing down any moves gradually.
If you've been running or jogging, slowing to a walking pace and progressively walking more relaxed can be a nice way or cooling down and slowing your heart rate back down.
But, unlike a warm up, static stretches are a great part of any cool down. The reason why they are so good when cooling down is they are a great way to stretch out your muscles, improving flexibility and also helping to disperse any acid build ups in the muscle. By stretching your muscles, this will also break down any tension in the muscle that could cause it to become stiff and sore later on.
It can be easy to skip a cool down but your body needs it. Treat yourself to a good stretch!
XxXxX