After vigorous exercise your heart rate will be high, and your muscles are working at capacity (hopefully building & strengthening). Giving your body a way to gradually come down from peak activity makes the transition smoother and less shocking to your various systems.

We’ve created a customizable list of 3 basic steps to the perfect cool-down:

Bring your heart rate down

for ex. Walk it out for 3-5 mins (depending on length of workout)
You may have noticed that you get light headed if you stop suddenly after a run, or your muscles that were previously in overdrive might all of a sudden feel really tense. Taking a few mins to ramp down your heart rate is kind of like a smooth downshift while you drive a standard.

Stretch it out for 5-7 mins

Remember to focus on the muscles you were working the most. Especially if your workout was strength training focused, you’ll want to stretch those muscle groups so they recuperate efficiently.

Deep breathing or a yoga-style savasana

This is the step that will really cap off the perfect workout. Take time to breathe and oxygenate all those muscles you just worked so hard! It is a perfect way to check in with how you feel post workout and get grounded.

A key ingredient to the perfect cool down routine is giving yourself a mental hug for doing this workout for your body! Relish in the good endorphins throughout the cool down process and take a moment to really appreciate what you’ve done for yourself so that the next time you feel that workout slug of resistance you know what awaits after your hard work.