Don Beaver, Director of Fitness
It is more important than ever to remember to properly stretch and warm up prior to exercise during our colder Arizona months of the year, and, unfortunately, the “average American” will gain up to eight pounds of weight between Thanksgiving and New Year’s leading many of us to charge into exercise without preparation. The risk of injury and/or muscle pain due to a failure to allow the appropriate amount of time to prepare for physical activity should always be avoided. Muscles not only need to warm up via increased blood flow, but joints need to be prepared for the broader movements of your scheduled activity.
* For moderate intensity activity such as brisk walking or bike riding on a level surface, spend a few minutes marching in place while swinging your arms as you march. These movements engage the hip flexors, glutes (buttocks), quadriceps (thighs), shoulder muscles, and rotator cuffs while increasing blood flow.
* For more intense physical activity such as tennis, pickleball, swimming, and golf, you need a more extensive warm-up routine. Golfers should add trunk twists and arm swings to the moderate intensity warm-up to better prepare for that activity, while tennis and pickleball enthusiasts should add lateral shuffles to both the moderate warm-up and the golf movements. Swimmer warm-ups should include arm sweeps, torso rotations, and marching in place.
* Additional warm-up movements can include step-ups (stepping up and back down on a step 10 times for each leg); alternating hamstring curls (standing shoulder width and alternate picking up each foot towards your buttocks 10 times each leg); small, medium, and large arm circles (rotating extended arms at the shoulder forward and backward for 30 seconds in each direction); and alternating air punches (in front, cross-body, and uppercuts for 30 seconds for each punch type). These types of movements will better activate your lower body and core, increase the range of shoulder movement, and increase your heart rate/blood flow, all of which will serve to better prepare you for activity while reducing the risk of injury.
After your workout, visit the Rincon Room at the Anza and stretch your shoulders, buttocks, hips, hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps, gently holding each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds. This will keep muscles long, supple, and ready to respond the next time you call on them for a workout or everyday activity. 1
Stay healthy and safe this winter while enjoying your holiday traditions!
1 Harvard Health Letter, November 2022