Diet & Fitness 

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Cool down properly

Yes, and here’s a thought. It sounds like you might be running at top speed and then, when you’ve reached your peak, slowing the treadmill down to a crawl. If so, you need a more gradual cool down. The most important rule of thumb is the more intense your pace, the more slowly you need to cool down.

For example, a walker who works out at about 6 kilometres per hour taking ten minutes per kilometre (four miles per hour or 15 minutes per mile) for 30 minutes needs to slow down to just less than 5kph (3mph), and then about 3kph (2mph), taking at least five minutes to do so in order to cool down safely.

If someone runs for a half hour near his or her maximum speed — let's say 13kph, taking four and a half minutes per kilometre (eight mph or 7.5 minutes per mile) and then slows the treadmill to a six and a half kilometres per hour (4 mph) walk for two minutes, the change in intensity is far too drastic for such a short time. Slowing down so suddenly is a shock to your body and can potentially cause a drop in blood pressure. The result is temporary dizziness —similar to the feeling you get from standing up too quickly after sitting or lying down for a while.

You can also ask a qualified exercise specialist or trainer to monitor your blood pressure prior to, during and just after your workout to see if there are any sudden changes. If so, consult your doctor.

The other possibility is that you're just catching a chill. Regardless of the gym’s temperature, after you get all heated up your body tries to cool itself by perspiring. As this perspiration evaporates from your skin your body becomes cooler, and sometimes if you wander around a cool gym after your workout you can get cold. Next time, change into a dry t-shirt after your cardio workout and before you stretch or continue to lift weights. There's a bit more washing to do, but it's better than feeling as though you're training in a walk-in fridge.

Why not chat to other iVillagers about cooling down on the Shaping Up message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening now on the board:

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