It takes me 10-15 minutes to cool down - body temp wise - after a work out, this is after a 'cool down' in the gym and a cold'ish shower. It becomes an issue when I workout at lunch time. Does anyone have any suggestions?
asked Mar 31, 2011 at 19:00
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Get one of these youtube.com/watch?v=e8J6ov48rG0. Personally, my favorite way to bring my core temp down is a nice/relaxing swim in a pool.– Evan PlaiceCommented Mar 15, 2013 at 18:17
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7 Answers
Don't take a shower after a workout until your body has cooled down, and you are not sweating anymore. (or else the shower won't 'take', and you will sweat after it.) (a shower should not be used in order to cool down. A shower should just purely be to clean yourself) Also, you should wear a long sleeve shirt after your workout if it is even remotely chilly outside or whatever environment you will be in. Don't let your body get cold fast. Let your body cool down naturally. Whenever I would not do this, I would almost feel sick like (hot/cold/achy).
edit** I should also add that plenty of water during the cool down is essential. Don't go from a hard workout straight to a dead stop either. Gradually go from a hard workout to nothing.
The best way would be to submerge most of your body in a tub of cold water (1-15 C or 35-59 F). However it's horribly inconvenient and if not monitored properly, dangerous.
I would regulate your body temperature by drinking VERY cold water, as cold as you can stand it. Once your esophagus warms up to a comfortable temperature, have another drink. Repeat as necessary.
The cool down period after a workout is very important and should not be minimized. A workout is a strain on the body as joints and muscles struggle to keep up with the challenge. After this challenge is over the body need to calm down so that it have the time to flush out tired muscles, keep joints warm and flexible and of course to slowly cool down the temperature.
A good tip is to use 10-15 minutes after a workout to stretch during the cool down period and let the body to calm down in its own pace.
I would recommend you to an article about the benefits of the cool down at exercise.about.com
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Realized just after posting that your question was how to cut down the cool down time and this was the actual question I did not answer. Sorry about that. Still; the cool down is an important part of the exercise and shouldn't be neglected. You can throw in a ten minutes low cardio walk after your regular sets and by this get a little bonus burn? Commented Mar 31, 2011 at 19:23
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I currently spend 5-10 minutes at the end 'cooling down' - mostly stretching...it's after that where my temp is still high that I'm asking about Commented Mar 31, 2011 at 20:24
To be honest, if not having a higher body temp is very important to you after your lunch breaks, I don't recommend working out during lunch. My body takes a couple of hours before it's at a normal temperature and I'm not sweating after the gym.
There are a lot of things happening in your body immediately following a workout that are causing higher body temps and I don't know that you should really be trying to cut them short.
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I guess that's a good point, if you 'cool down' to fast, there might be some negative side affects Commented Apr 1, 2011 at 12:39
I also exercise at lunch times, and am often uncomfortably hot afterwards.
Drinking cold water should help. Pouring the same quantity over your skin and allowing it to evaporate should be more effective given the additional heat of vaporization of the water, however.
I also find maintaining a moderate heart rate after a period of more intense exercise makes me feel cooler quicker. Perhaps the extra blood volume traversing the body more than offsets the extra heat generated by having a somewhat elevated metabolism. This is purely anecdotal on my part though.
Slowly stretching your entire body for a good 15 sec each stretch will help, and drinking 2L of cold water to regulate body temp and flush out toxins. 30 mins ofter relaxing, taking a cool shower would be a good way to top it off.
Work out slowly but not too slow that you barley move after. Also stay hydrated and on a cool but not freezing room. Get on comfortable clothes and keep moving and you'll be just fine.
