Former professional footballer shares warm-up tips
Jason Eaton, general manager at theclub and spa, shares his tips on warming-up and stretching. - Credit: Cadbury House
The lighter days and warmer temperatures have encouraged more people to get out and about for a run, cycle or outdoor swim.
But as we emerge from the lockdown hibernation, the importance of ensuring you are properly warmed-up and stretched has never been more important.
Jason Eaton, general manager at theclub and spa at Cadbury House, who was once a professional footballer, understands the need for a proper warm-up and shares his tips on how to do it properly.
Jason said: “There are many virtues to a good warm-up and with many of us working from home has resulted in many feeling their body has been turned into the shape of a cashew nut!
“First thing is it helps reduce the risk of injury or pulling a muscle once you get going and the more flexible you are, the less likely you’ll injure yourself once you start more excessive movement.
“Stretching before exercise also helps the muscles loosen up so when you for example start to run, they are prepared to take the impact.
Making sure you have stretched and warmed-up before exercising is extremely important. - Credit: Pixabay
“Having a proper war- up and stretch also increases the blood supply to the muscles so that the body gets the ‘food’ they need for exercising.
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“With many of us having to work from home recently, there has been a rise in the number of people suffering from lower back pain. Making sure you’ve got good flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors plus the muscles attached to the lower back helps relieve stress on the lower spine so good stretches in this region are really important.”
But it’s not just pre-workout stretching that’s important. Jason added: “Once you’ve finished, it’s really important to stretch the muscles as it will help keep them loose and help avoid them stiffening up and next day aches!”
In terms of how much stretching you should do depends on the sort of exercise you are doing.
Jason added: “The flexibility of a gymnast will be different to a runner or jogger. Too much flexibility may reduce the muscles spring. The thing is to stretch within your comfort zone. Most of us are exercising to regain fitness or lose weight, not compete in the next Olympics so the main thing is to make it comfortable and not over-bearing.
“Of course, anyone wanting to get a head start can check out one of our many deep muscle massages and treatments, ideal to get you ready for your new-found exercise regime.”
For further information, log on to https://www.theclubandspabristol.co.uk/
