Have you ever skipped your warmup before a workout? Maybe you’re in a hurry, maybe you’re just keen to get stuck in to your workout. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! However, warming up before exercising is incredibly important and should definitely not be missed. It makes your workout more beneficial in a variety of ways, including:

1. Reducing the chance of injury – This is the main reason for warming up. Warming up, quite literally, increases your body temperature. This assists in mobility and flexibility, which means that you’re less likely to pull a muscle or over-extend a joint.

2. Improving blood circulation – Your blood circulation is important during exercise as it’s how the muscles and cells receive oxygenated blood. Warming up gets your blood moving better, and makes your cells ready for a workout.

3. Helping oxygen get to your muscles – Oxygen is an important energy source when you’re exercising and warming up increases the oxygen in your muscles.

4. Getting you in the right headspace – Warming up is good for your mental health too! It will help you leave your busy day at work behind and focus on achieving your workout goals.

5. Improving your performance – When you warm up your body, everything works much more efficiently. Your lung capacity improves, your aerobic threshold is greater and you have more energy.

The best way to warm up is by doing some gentle stretches, followed by some light cardio/mobility exercises to get your joints moving. Let us know how you warm up in the comments!