<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><em><strong>PART 5 - WHY WARMING UP CORRECTLY IS SO CRITICAL!</strong></em></span></h1>
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>What is warming up?</strong></span></h4>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Warming up is your starting period of time you spend below your defined AZ (Aerobic Zone) intensity.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>This period may vary from person to person.<img class="alignright wp-image-3627" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/heart-rate-ekg-ecg-heart-beat-300x278.jpg" alt="heart-rate-ekg-ecg-heart-beat" width="167" height="155" /></em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Age, relative conditioning, talent, injuries, weather, energy preference (fat or
sugar), and perceived lifestyle stress can all dictate one's most appropriate and effective warming up period.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Not only is warming up key for optimum physical performance, but perhaps more important is priming your brain to plan and ultimately control your upcoming workout - namely, prevent you from hurting yourself.</em></span></h5>
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Why would you allocate time starting exercise below your AZ! The benefits.</strong></span></h4>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Switching on your thermo-regulation</strong></span> - much of athletic performance is governed around dissipating heat.  Just like a car, if you can't balance temperature, by; 1) ridding the body of excessive heat, and 2) cooling the body from the inside out, then it's likely your performance will be ill-effected.  So priming your cooling system requires a gradual increase in intensity.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong style="color: #008080;">Increases temperature of working parts</strong></span><span style="color: #008080;"> - the main parts that require lubricating are your muscles, tendons, and most critical for some - moving joints.  Properly warming up is like a quick spray of WD40 </span>lubricant<span style="color: #008080;"> to all moving (and aging) parts.  </span></em></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Increases oxygenated blood flow</strong></span> - you know oxygen is a vital ingredient towards your optimum aerobic capacity, so increasing your available supply early in the session is key.  As you increase your intensity it pays to have ready to go O2 to maintain your fat burning energy preference (opposed to sugar).  </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Switching on the 'right' fuel tank</strong></span> - by already know if you take it out to<img class="alignright wp-image-3892" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/hearttttt-300x169.jpg" alt="hearttttt" width="440" height="248" />o hard too early it's likely you'll engage your (limited) sugar tank opposed to your more reliable and healthy fat tank.  It takes around 5-15 minutes to adequately prime your fat burning tank for your upcoming workout.  </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Engage your breathing system</strong> </span>- your lungs, pipes, and diaphragm are key elements in human movement.  Controlled rhythmic breathing at all intensities
requiring gradual recruitment all these parts.  Be sure to relax your neck and shoulder muscles groups - particularly when picking up your effort. </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Brain priming anticipation</strong> </span>- your brain largely dictates your performance.  It is responsible for managing your 'safe' intensity and volume so you avoid hurting yourself - or worse.  So gently letting the boss know you're keen on revving things up is a wise move.  If you believe you're suffering mid way through your workout, it could very well be your (healthy) brain throwing out illusory negative emotions because you simply took it out too hard too early.</em></span></h5>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Warming up benefits both mind &amp; body.</strong></span></em></h3>
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>What can you do to reap the benefits listed above?</strong></span></h4>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Firstly drop your AZ top number by 20 beats</strong> </span>(remember this is the point where you switch over from burning mainly stored fat to available and stored sugar) - this is your warming up ceiling - and yes, it will not yield significant pace! Eg; my AZ top is 141 beats, so I warm up at around 120 beats max. </em></span></h5>
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<h5><strong><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;">Slowly increase your heart rate over a 3-5 minute period till you reach your warming up ceiling</span>. </em></span></strong><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Hold this intensity for another 3-10 minutes. </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Slowly integrate impact</strong></span> (for those bounding) - eg walk, super slow shuffle, jog, tempo run, stretch out.  I always start a run with about 200 metres of <img class="alignright size-full wp-image-3894" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/fflo.jpg" alt="fflo" width="275" height="183" />walking.  </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>A quick word on walking</strong></span> - One of the greatest runners in history Haile Gebresaleassie, walks for 10 minutes before every workout and race - so walk, it works!</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Consider a more forgiving warming up discipline</strong></span> - eg walk or run on grass or a treadmill, jogging stationary on a softer pilates mat, a small warming up trampoline, a stationary bike, or x trainer.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Start off wearing warmer clothing</strong></span> (obviously only if it's colder) then shed clothes as you feel yourself warm up.  Be sure to avoid over-heating.  </em></span></h5>
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<h5><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong style="color: #008080;">My opinion on stretching</strong></span><span style="color: #008080;"> - personally I am NOT a fan of static or aggressive ballistic stretching.  While I certainly employed this type of stretching, both personally and professionally for a number of years, mixed results lead me to shelve 'stretching'.  There is loads of supporting research on the internet suggesting stretching could be harmful.  Much of this information suggests an </span>impedance<span style="color: #008080;"> of neural firing.  I am a fan however of more active flowing movements as employed in both active yoga and pilates.</span></em></h5>
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>How do you know you're ready to pick things up ?</strong></span></h4>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;">You should feel loose, pain free, engaged and looking forward to revving it up.</span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;">Often you'll no longer feel those pre-workout aches and pains.  </span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;">You've worked up just a little perspiration (well, sweaty boys anyway).</span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;">Your workout no longer feels like a chore but you're actually psyched to knock it out. </span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;">You feel good!</span></h5>
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>A quick word on cooling down</strong></span></h4>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Firstly, avoid hammering the very last phase of your workout.  Save sprint finishes for a race if that's what you do.  The last thing we need is returning to <img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3895" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ffhfhfh-1-300x169.jpg" alt="ffhfhfh" width="300" height="169" />everyday life with a bucket full of lactic acid pouring out of your ears.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Secondly, like your warm up, drop your AZ top by 10-15% every minute for 3-5 minutes. Eg; I usually walk for 2-3 minutes post most runs.  </em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Harder workouts require longer cool down periods.</em></span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>A shower is not a cool down.</em></span></h5>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong><em>Ease in and ease out</em></strong></span></h3>
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