WORKOUT WEDNESDAY Warm Up
Things have been brrrrr! here in L.A. We Southern Californians really aren’t used to anything below 65 degrees, so we’ve been going to all kinds of lengths to get warm—bringing heated blankets to work and madly sipping hot tea like we just got off the set of Downton Abbey. This morning when our trainer Michelle entered the building, it was freezing inside! Her solution? To heat things up with a fast-paced 10 minute warm up. Here are a few ways you can get all the benefits of our (very sweaty) warm up.
Keep Bundled: Today, every time we tried to remove our sweatshirts within the first ten minutes of our workout, Michelle yelled “No way! Keep it on!” Why? Because warming up the body not only helps you make the most of your workout, but it also prepares the muscles and joints for more intense activity. Heat increases the flexibility of your muscles, so you can do more without the danger of hurting yourself. Don’t worry! You can shed your warm clothes after your body feels nice and toasty so you don’t overheat.
Head to Toe: Try warm up exercises that get your whole body moving like jumping jacks. That way, all your muscles are getting warm. Some of Michelle’s other favorites? High knees and cross-body punching.
Keep Your Heart Rate Up: To get your body super warm, you want to get your heart going and your blood pumping. Michelle gives us short bursts of intense exercises followed by equal bursts of slightly less intense moves to give us a break. The trick is, the less intense ones still keep our heart rates up. So while it might feel like we’re “resting,” our bodies are still working hard.
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