Why warm-ups and stretching are important for fitness
By Cheryl Richards is an AFPA (American Fitness Professionals & Associates) Certified Personal Trainer with the Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA on Route 40.

The main purpose for warming up the body before you exercise is to prepare your body and mind for more strenuous activity. It helps to increase the body’s core temperature and raise your respiratory rate, while also increasing muscle temperature, which allows the muscles to become loose, supple and pliable.

Are you having trouble finding the time to warm up and cool down before and after your workouts? Before you skip over these important facets of fitness, consider some of the methods and benefits of warming up and stretching.

Preparing the body for physical activity can help you to be more efficient in your workouts. A warm-up consists of low-intensity cardiovascular exercise done for 5-10 minutes until you start to break a sweat. This can be walking, jogging, biking, jumping rope, swimming or any other cardiovascular exercise that elevates the core temperature of your body.

It is also important to warm up before strength training workouts, and not just cardiovascular sessions. Not warming up properly could increase your risk of injury.
The most basic form of stretching is called static stretching, which is a technique used to gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position and then hold that stretch for a period of time. There is some recent controversy about static stretching and how it may have a negative affect on muscle contraction and could slow down the performance of athletes involved in certain sports requiring higher levels of power and speed. Athletes in certain sports therefore require what is known as the Sport Specific warm up, which prepares your body for the demands of the sport you are about to participate in. More vigorous activity, actions and movements should be utilized relating to your sport.

Dynamic stretching carries a high risk if not done correctly. A professional sports coach or trainer should be used for supervision.
Dynamic stretching is used more for muscular conditioning than flexibility and is generally used for professional, highly conditioned athletes. A high level of flexibility should be established first.

Here are some important rules for stretching:

1. Never stretch cold muscles. Your best time to stretch is after you have broken that sweat from your warm up.
2. Do not bounce! Start by stretching slowly and hold the stretch gently. Stretch to the point of feeling a gentle pull, but never stretch to the point of pain.
3. There are differences of opinion for the amount of time given to the stretch. A good rule of thumb is to hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds. If you have a flexibility issue with a certain area, stretch that area twice (hold for 30-40 seconds release, then stretch the same area again).
   Improved flexibility, circulation of blood in your body, releasing tension in your muscles, and proper posture are all benefits of stretching.