Warm-Up, Stretch, & Cool-Down

1. Warm-Up, Stretch, & Cool-Down “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”~Benjamin Franklin

2. Why Warm-Up? • Prepares your body physically and psychologically • Increases blood flow to your muscles and increases your body temperature. • Achieve optimal performance • Reduce the risk of injury

3. The warm-up should last about five minutes. Slow walking is a good warm-up for a moderate-paced walk. Brisk walking is a good warm-up for more vigorous activity. How do you Warm-Up?

4. Warm-Up Conditions • Make sure your warm-up does the following: • Increases heart rate • Increases breathing rate • Elevates body temperature • Utilizes muscles you will use in the upcoming activity • Takes your joints through a full rage of motion needed for the upcoming activity

5. Stretching • Light stretching should be done after the warm-up • Deep stretching after the entire workout • Remember to breathe when you stretch! • Benefits of stretching, include: • Improving and maintaining joint range of motion • Helps reduce risk of injury • Helps reduce soreness • Promotes better posture • Improves circulation • Relieves stress

6. Warm-Up Stretching • After the warm-up, stretch the muscles that you will be using during your workout. • Each stretch should last 10-30 seconds. • Going on a Walk? Concentrate on stretching your… • Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, adductors, hip flexors, calves, and lower back.

7. Workout • Remember that your workout should be at a moderate intensity: • The ‘Talk Test’ • Your Target Heart Rate Range (between 60% and 85% of your maximal heart rate)

8. Cool-Down • Never skip this step of your workout! • If you abruptly stop an intense activity, you risk: • Increasing your chance of experiencing heart arrhythmias • Hindering the removal of cellular waste from your muscles, increasing the likelihood of muscle soreness • Blood pooling • Becoming light-headed

9. How do you Cool-Down? • Slow the intensity of the activity you are doing • Gradually slow your pace down to a walk • End the cool-down by doing some deep stretching. • Focus on the muscles that you were using during your workout, this will help reduce the incidence of stiffness or soreness later.

10. Cool-Down Stretching • After the entire workout, stretch the whole body. • Make sure to focus on the muscles that were used during the workout. • Each stretch should last 20-30 seconds and be repeated.

11. Cool-Down Benefits • Slowly ending your workout gives your body a chance to: • Relax • Decrease your heart rate • Decrease your breathing rate • Reduces potential for muscle soreness • Reduces chance of dizziness or fainting

12. Power Panther ProfessionalsSchool-Wide • Announce to students that teachers will be focusing on increasing their levels of physical activity. Encourage students to “catch” teachers doing something physically active. • Take students on at least a 10-minute walk. • Encourage incorporating a warm-up, stretching, and a cool-down during the walk. • Incorporate physical activity into a lesson plan. • Ask students about their favorite activities including warm-up, stretches, and cool-downs. • Sponsor a school-wide fitness activity like a fitness night or an intramural league.