Exercise without warming up or cooling down, what effect does it have on the body?

Warming up before exercise is useful for increasing body temperature and blood flow to the muscles. Meanwhile, cooling down after exercise helps stabilize the heart rate and blood pressure that is stimulated during exercise. Then, are there any bad effects from exercising without warming up or cooling down?

Impact of exercising without warming up

You may feel impatient to start your day with some exercise, but don't forget to warm up. The main function of this movement is to increase the flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, especially the muscles that work during exercise.

When you warm up, your heart rate and respiration increase, so your muscles get an adequate supply of oxygen. Not only that, special moves like jumping jacks and lunges it can also increase flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.

Without warming up or cooling down, the muscles in the body are too stiff to perform the core exercises of the sport. This is because the muscles are still in a resting state. The core of the exercise can actually increase the risk of injury because the muscles are not flexible enough to do so.

In addition, exercising without warming up also makes the body's muscles tire quickly and easily experiences pain. On deep studies Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport , runners who warm up perform better than those who don't.

In general, warm-up moves don't just pump up your muscles and make you sweat. Warming up prepares your body and mind before engaging in more strenuous activity. Thus, the body can anticipate various challenges during exercise.

Impact of exercising without cooling off

Not only warming up, exercising without cooling down is not recommended because it has a negative effect on your body. The reason is, all systems in the body are still working hard when you stop exercising suddenly.

The first effect that may occur is the accumulation of blood in the muscles. When the body that was moving a lot slows down, it will be more difficult for the muscles to get the blood containing carbon dioxide back into the heart.

Blood can get trapped in muscles or on valves in veins. This condition can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. The risk is greater for the elderly and for those of you who have a history of heart disease.

Like warming up, exercise without cooling down can also lead to injury. Exercise makes muscle fibers lengthen, and it takes time for muscles to return to their original shape. Without cooling down, muscles that have not yet recovered are prone to injury even when you are not exercising.

In other cases, exercising without cooling down can aggravate the condition called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is pain that appears 24-48 hours after exercise due to a small tear in the muscle.

Trapped blood in muscles, risk of injury, and DOMS are three factors that will slow down muscle recovery after exercise. To prevent this, make sure you take the time to cool down.

How long should it ideally take for heating and cooling?

Sport is an activity that is beneficial to health. However, an exercise routine without warming up or cooling down can actually have a negative effect on your body.

Give yourself at least 10-15 minutes of doing a light warm-up to get your muscles ready for the core workout.

After all of the core movements have been done, take the same time again to recover the body through the cooling movement.