Playing sport and being active is heaps of fun,
especially in our beautiful weather and with all of
our wonderful friends. It is important, however, to
make sure that we do not injure ourselves so that
we can 'play another day'
To prevent injuries, we should make sure that we
'warm up' and 'cool down'. There are a few well
known guidelines to this and a few minutes taken
before and after we play sport will make a heap of
difference.
Warm up: Start off with a light jog or some simple
games such as tag or stuck in the mud.
When you start to get a light sweat up, you will
know that your body is getting
ready for more physical exercise.
The reason why our bodies 'warm up' and we start to
sweat a little is because our blood is more freely
moving around our body and getting into our
muscles. Our muscles then know that exercise is
about to happen and get ready for action.
After we have warmed up, we should have a stretch
so that when we extend our body in our sport, we
don't 'pull' a muscle.
Cool down: Just as important as warming up is
cooling down. A cool down helps prevent muscle
soreness that sometimes sets in a couple of days
after you have participated in sport, especially if
your body is not used to the activity.
The cool down can be very similar to the warm up. A
brisk walk can take the place of a light jog and
remember, always do some stretching, especially of
those bigger muscle groups.
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