Exercise, as vital as it is for getting fit and maintaining one's health, still requires that you find ways to warm up and cool down before and after exercising. These pre-workouts and post-workout routines are as important to your health as exercise itself. Here are four reasons why you need pre-workouts and post-workout routines.

Engaging in Physically Demanding Exercise with Cold Muscles Is Dangerous

"Cold" muscles are muscles that have not been adequately warmed up for the type of exercise you expect to do. When you engage in strenuous or physically demanding exercise without first warming the muscles up with a pre-workout, you could seriously injure yourself. Torn tendons and ripped ligaments are often the result of a lack of pre-excercise exercise. Take a few minutes, even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes, and do some stretches or light cardio to get your muscles ready to move.

Pre-Workouts Activate Your Body's Pulmonary System

It takes the human heart and lungs a few minutes to realize that you are engaged in exercise. During that time, your heart rate slowly begins to rise, your lungs expand to take in more oxygen to fuel your blood during exercise, and your blood vessels dilate to allow freer movement of blood around your body. If you engage in warm-up exercises or pre-workout routines, you are alerting your pulmonary system that you will very soon be engaged in physical activity that will require much more than its typical, at-rest functions. Then, when you are actively involved in the exercise you plan to do for several minutes thereafter, your pulmonary system is already ready to provide oxygen to your brain, heart, lungs, muscles and other vital organs.

Post-Workout Routines Calm You Down

Your body has just run on an exercise "high." The flight or fight responses have engaged to keep your adrenaline going while you exercise and push past the pain you may initially feel from working out and lacking some physical endurance. A "cool-down" exercise or post-workout routine can help bring your body back down to its resting state.

Post-Workout Routines Help Flush Lactic Acid from the Muscles

While it is so important to drink lots of water during and after exercise so that your body can flush out some of the lactic acid build-up in the muscles, it is also important that you partake in a post-workout/ cool-down session. The post-workout, in conjunction with the consumption of water, helps flush this natural chemical from your body, thereby reducing the pain and stiffness you may feel after you have worked out. A reduction in pain, stiffness and the potential for injury combined with cardiovascular preparation can make your workouts much healthier and safer.

Preparing for your workout with light exercise and pre-workout nutrition like that from Nutrition 4 Texas will help reduce injuries. So will remembering to cool down and hydrate after your workout.