Article - The Heat is On

This is a fantastic article by Michelle Bridges – Author and Biggest Loser trainer published in The Sunday Age Magazine, June 26 2011. It talks all about the reason why it's so important for us to warm up before exercise.

"Warming up before exercising will prepare your entire body for the physical task ahead, say Michelle Bridges.

I love watching people warm up before a fun run. It’s like a weird dance routine: jumps, knee raises, running on the spot, side bends. Dozens of people all about to do the same thing – run – and all of them preparing themselves in different ways.

I remember in my early days as a group fitness instructor, the five-minute warm up before class was always regarded as a vital ingredient – to the point where some of my more authoritarian colleagues would actually forbid a latecomer from participating if they missed it.

By definition, a warm up should increase your body temperature. When your muscles are warm, they will contract and relax faster and more forcefully, which will improve both your speed and your strength.

As your muscles warm up, so does your blood. Dilating your blood vessels and capillaries allows your blood to flow more easily through the enlarged vessels, easing some of the load on your heart. This is important, as it reduces the risk of exercise-induced cardiac problems. This increased blood flow also allows oxygen and nutrients to flow more easily to your muscles, as well as to your tendons and connective tissues, stretching them and getting them ready for work. Muscles and tendons then become significantly more movable. This new-found viscosity and flexibility allow for a greater range of movement, and reduce the risk of tears and strains.

The now-warmed blood allows the oxygen molecules to separate more easily from haemoglobin, making it more readily available to fuel all those muscles that are now busily contracting and relaxing. This, in turn, gets your entire cardiovascular system – heart, lungs, veins and arteries – working in sync. Each organ is responding to the change in conditions, and is preparing the body for the task ahead.

But it’s not just heart and muscles – even our nervous system gets in on the act. Nerve pathways transmit signals faster and more efficiently, sharpening our responses. We think more clearly and quicker, and we’re more alert. We release hormones that are crucial in energy production, fast-tracking the availability of carbohydrates and fatty acids as fuel for our muscles. All the individual components of our amazing bodies will have literally wound themselves up in unison to prepare for the work ahead."