I can say that sports means so much to our family. Zak has always been part of sports teams: basketball and soccer. Otherwise, we do many other activities such as tennis, running (especially when the weather is nice) and indoor training almost every day. It is very demanding for our bodies and our muscles. Since we got married, I say that I married a little old man: pain in the back, shoulder and knee. And then, it’s not going to get any better … It’s funny because I write the article while being in a hospital room waiting for Zak to finish his knee surgery. A torn meniscus and ligament during a soccer game. My husband is a sports lover and nothing stops him. He waits a day and goes back to his training and then sometimes he forgets to warm up and that’s how these pains are triggered again.
So I thought about writing an article on the importance of warming up before training.
Why are we warming up?
We prepare our muscles but also our brain for physical exercise. Our heart rate is gradually increasing and so is our blood flow through our muscles, tendons and ligaments. We can therefore avoid certain muscle injuries and also increase the flexibility of our tendons.
Warm-up is not helpful just to avoid muscle injuries. Here are some other benefits:
- Lubricate our joints to facilitate our movements,
- Increase the temperature of our blood stream to allow us to hold longer,
- Increase the oxygen level that goes to our muscles,
- Prepare our heart for physical activity to control our blood pressure,
- Allow better performance.
How long does it take to warm up?
It depends on the type of training you are about to do. Generally, 10 minutes are enough for me before my HIIT sessions.
Let’s go back to Zak story…
To relieve his muscles and help him perform (or sometimes survive), he asks me to massage him with Novarnica Pain Relief Cream. To be honest, I wonder if it’s an excuse or if it really relieves his pain. Joking aside, for a few months now, this is the only product I use to relieve back pain and it works perfectly. This is also the case for me: when I don’t want to miss a training session that I want to attend, I apply it before going to the gym. I am also reassured that it is a natural painkiller.
Arnica is a plant used for centuries for healing purposes and several scientific studies prove its many positive effects on certain sores such as muscle and joint pains.
Novarnica Anti-Pain Cream is not only practical for back pain but also for sprains, sprains, cramps, arthritis and bruises.
The brand also offers a Pain Spray for a faster application and a cream (or spray) for the feet that I applied after having spent a day standing in the hospital. On the other hand, don’t forget that no cream or medicine can prevent you from being injured. You must listen to your body and know your limits. It is true that this article is sponsored by Novarnica, but I assure you that it is a product that was used before this collaboration and that we will continue to use. I also want to tell you that if you have persistent pain, I strongly advise you to consult a doctor for proper follow-up.
You can visit this link to find Novarnica products: http://www.novarnica.com/fr-ca/ou-acheter-novarnica/
