You did your warm-up, crushed your workout—and now you’re ready to jet to the next item on your long to-do list. We hear you. But before you do, take a few minutes to breathe deeply and stretch your muscles with a cool-down.
Here’s the thing, stretching in general is a hotly debated topic right now. And currently, experts think that stretching can be beneficial, but not stretching is probably not the worst. So, if you’re running late and you absolutely can’t spare five minutes for a cool-down, it’s probably OK. Having said that, we still think it’s a great idea. Cool downs allow your heart rate to fall to normal, your breathing to slow, and sometimes stretching just feels good. Also, the benefits are more than physical: a proper cool-down can help you mentally ease back into the pace of your life. It’s a great way to reset after a sweaty workout.
We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite cool-down options below, some of which are from past challenges. None of them are more than five minutes, and none require any equipment. You can do one of these below or do your own favorite stretches. The idea is just to take a few moments to reward your body for powering through another workout.
- 7-Move Full-Body Cool-Down
- 5 Stretches to Do After a Workout
- The Best Cool-Down to Do After a Cardio Workout
Even if you can’t commit to stretching after every workout, start by doing a cool-down after your strength workouts or try to stretch on your rest days. This will help soothe your tired muscles (and can give you a burst of energy when you need it). Here are some of our favorite essential stretches you can incorporate into your life every day, whether or not you’ve done a workout before.
