Fitness for the Day – March 10 2008

Another day, another ride. Today’s adventure lasted exactly 50 minutes. During this time, I traveled 12.77 miles and burned 1006 Calories. It’s worth pointing out that after the fifty minutes elapsed, I keep cycling for another few minutes at a much slower pace. This lets my body cool down and let’s my heart rate drop down to a normal level. It’s never a good idea to go from my workout pace of 120-140 bpm to a dead stop.

A cool down is just as important as a warm up. In addition to letting your heart rate go down, it slows down your breathing rate. It also prevents blood from pooling in the area where you worked out, blood pooling causes dizziness and blackouts. Don’t forget to do some stretching to loosen up your muscles afterwards as well. All of this is important in preventing injury and minimizing discomfort or pain after a work out. If you want more information, check out this article.

Tags: Bicycle, cool down, exercise, Fitness, injury prevention, pulse, warm up