The tutor realizes that not everyone is interested in computer science.  Exercise is a constant topic of conversation today, if not the most pressing during tutoring….

Those who exercise vigorously are trained to “cool-down” afterwards. Typically, the cool-down is a period of light-to-moderate exercise of around 5 minutes. It’s done at a comfortable pace – maybe 20 to 40 percent of maximum. The point is to decrease the exertion, yet keep the circulation elevated. You might hear people take slow, deep breaths during the cool-down.

If the cool down is not done, the exerciser might experience empasized muscle stiffness and discomfort following the workout. What does the cool-down accomplish; why is it so important?

I’m not trained in the science of exercise, but I’m a veteran of it. Here’s some of what I’ve been able to piece together to explain the importance of cooling down:

Oxygen debt typically occurs during vigorous exercise, especially when bursts of power are demanded (as happens in soccer, hockey, football, weight training, sprinting, etc). In a period of oxygen debt, the muscles work faster than the heart and lungs can supply them with oxygen. If the muscles undergo oxygen debt, they only partially break down the glucose; lactic acid is left over.

During the cool-down, the exertion level is much decreased, once again giving the heart and lungs easy opportunity to supply enough oxygen to the working muscles. Therefore, the lactic acid buildup ceases. At the same time, the muscle cells flush the lactic acid into the bloodstream. The still-elevated level of circulation during the cool-down enables the blood to carry the lactic acid from muscles to the liver. At the liver, the lactic acid is actually converted back to glucose.

So it seems that the body uses the cool-down to shuttle the lactic acid from the muscles to the liver. This is one benefit of the cool-down, but it’s not the whole story. I’ll provide the next installment in a future post:)

Source: Wikipedia.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.