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

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

How do you Warm-Up? 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.

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

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

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

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)

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

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.

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 seconds and be repeated.

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

Power Panther Professionals School-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.