Don't forget to cool down
The warm-up? Check. The workout? Check. The cool-down? Ah ... forgot that one.After you finish your high-powered cardio or weight training, your workout is still not done, I'm afraid. The oft-forgotten cool-down period plays a significant role in returning blood flow and heart and lung function back to their normal state. It also helps prevent blood from pooling in the muscles you were working, something that can cause dizzy spells or even fainting.
Spend about five minutes walking at a very easy pace. Remember, the point here is to help blood vessels relax and cardiac function return to normal, so take it nice and slow. Adding some stretches as part of your cool-down is also a good idea, though it's best to do it after finishing the short walk.
A recent study revealed that 

Every day I learn something new from my son. He's so much better at forgiving and forgetting, he throws himself into all his activities with his whole heart, and the second he meets someone new he considers them his friend. They're beautiful lessons to learn and I'm constantly reminded that while I'm the parent and it's my role to teach him, it's also my role to put my jaded adult heart aside and learn from him, too.
Stretching is an important part of any exercise routine.
Once I've showered and eaten breakfast, morning really is my best time of day. But getting from bed to shower can be a chore, especially when I have to be up before the sun rises. My kids don't have a snooze button, though, so I'm always looking for ways to get my motor running in the mornings.
I took up running a while back, and one of the major challenges for me has been my knees. I've always had problems with them, and running makes them worse. But I've been doing exercises to strengthen my knees and they've paid off -- I'm usually pain-free when I run, and I'm loving it. If you have the problems with your knees but are aching to be a runner,
Even though tons of studies have been done on pre-run stretching, results continue to be inconclusive. Does stretching first increase or decrease your risk of injury? What if you don't stretch first? Depending on which expert you ask, you're likely to get a different answer.
Is your job putting your health at risk? You might not think so. But if you're mostly sedentary during the week and fueling up on take-out for lunch every day, you might not be doing enough to protect your heart. Don't worry -- even the busiest schedules can be tweaked to leave you with more energy and less stress. Check out Forbes
We already know of
An oft-forgotten component of a complete workout is stretching. Some people -- I admittedly being one of them -- generally do a few quick stretches before staring my workout, and then hold a few, short stretches when finished. Leaving yoga and other stretching-based exercises out of this discussion, it's fair to say that most people need to be a little more diligent about giving themselves a good s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
Admit it -- we all know one or two kids that seem to play video games hour after hour without pause. While these kids (mostly boys, from my experience) can become coordinated while playing games more than some acrobats, one thing they're not getting is muscle movement. Well, unless they are
FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.
There is a welter of information scattered all about the internet and fitness publications, all offering tips and advice on how to improve your health and wellness. Some focus on cardio training, while others on nutrition. And, there are some that focus on those two facets and hundreds more. However, it seems to me that in almost all of this literature, there are very few articles -- save for those on yoga -- that focus on the importance of stretching.











