After exercising, make sure you have done these 4 mandatory things

Preparation before exercise is very important. However, the ritual of cleaning up after exercise is equally important. Do not let after vigorous exercise you immediately rush into changing clothes and go to the office or look for food. There are several important things that must be done so that your exercise produces effective results and the body is protected from injury. Check out the complete information below.

What must be done after sports?

1. Cooling (stretching the muscles)

If before starting to exercise you don't forget to warm up, then after exercising you are also obliged to cool down, aka stretching the muscles. Cooling is best done immediately as long as your muscles are still hot enough.

According to a sports medicine expert from the Hospital for Special Surgery in the United States, dr. Jordan D. Metzl, it may take your muscles up to forty minutes to relax. When it starts to cool down, your muscles will contract (tighten). If at that point you are just loosening up, you may even be at risk for muscle injury such as sprains. So, make sure you stretch before the muscles cool down and contract.

Furthermore, dr. Jordan Metzl recommends stretching your muscles for at least ten minutes. You can do a simple five minute stretch, followed by a foam stretch rolling.

2. Take a shower and change clothes

Don't linger in your sweat-soaked gym clothes. Immediately change your clothes and underwear when you finish exercising. The reason is, clothes that are damp due to sweat will be an ideal place for fungi, bacteria, and germs to breed. You also become more susceptible to skin infections and acne. A skin specialist, dr. Neal Schultz, recommends that you immediately change clothes no later than half an hour after exercising to prevent the growth of fungi, bacteria, or germs.

However, it would be even better if you took a shower first. Try to bathe in cool water, not warm or hot water. The reason is, cold water can help relieve inflammation and speed up recovery after exercise.

3. Drink water

To replace fluids lost during your workout, don't forget to drink enough water. During exercise your heart also works much harder and requires more oxygen. So you have to immediately fill up your oxygen intake again through drinking water.

There is no need to drink a lot of water immediately after exercising. You can drink slowly gradually. The reason is, drinking too much water too fast is also risky. For example, drink a glass of water before stretching your muscles, a glass after stretching, and one last glass after you shower or change clothes.

4. Fill your stomach

Replenishing your stomach after exercise is something that is often overlooked, either because you are busy or because you are not hungry. In fact, eating after exercising is important to repair and rebuild muscles that have been working hard.

About half an hour after exercising, your body needs an adequate intake of carbohydrates and protein to restore muscles. So, now is a good moment because the nutritional intake will be processed directly to build muscle, not just stored as a fat reserve.

So, choose a diet rich in protein such as chicken, eggs, whole wheat porridge, fish meat, yogurt, milk, and cheese.