The One Important Thing Most People Skip After A Workout—But Shouldn’t

Moving through some cool down exercises and stretches will bring your heart rate back to its baseline, calm your mind post-endorphin high, and ease your body back into its natural resting state (among other benefits). Plus, going through these post-workout moves can help improve mobility and allow your body to recover more efficiently, therefore preventing unwanted injuries.

If those reasons aren’t convincing enough, it honestly just feels ridiculously good to give your muscles a few blissful moments of self care. For a truly efficient cool down, opt for exercises that target the muscle groups you just worked (for example, go for some calf and hamstring stretches after a run). To get you started, I’ve put together some of my favorite exercises that will take you from revved-up, to cooled down.