1. Take Time for a Proper Cool down Period

The cool down period is a very important part of your exercise routine. It’s when your body is recovering. It helps you to return your heart rate back to normal in a gradual manner. It also helps your body to avoid sustaining injuries. It’s as important as a warm up is.

2. Stretch to Prevent Soreness

After you cool down, take a few minutes to do some stretching. It feels good to stretch and you’re rewarding your muscles for all their hard work. Not only that, it helps to prevent you from having soreness. It’s a matter of giving your body proper care. You’ll notice a big difference if you devote just a small amount of time to stretching.

2. Rehydrate Your Body to Replace the Fluids You Lost

Your body loses a lot of fluids when you exercise. This is especially true if you’re doing cardio. Give your body back what it needs by rehydrating. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, your body still needs rehydration. If you’re not crazy about water, add some orange or lemon slices to give it a punch of flavor.

3. Have a Light Snack to Refuel Your Body

You burned a lot of energy when you exercised. It’s good to refuel. Have a light snack like an apple and string cheese or peanut butter and crackers to boost your energy back up. You want to eat enough to give you energy but not enough to sabotage your exercise efforts. In other words, a 1,000 calorie milkshake is probably out.

4. Shower Away All the Sweat and Grime

If you’ve had a hard workout, shower away the grime and sweat. Grime and sweat can lead to bacteria which, in turn, leads to infections and acne flare ups. Neither of those are fun to deal with. If you’re completely pressed for time, at least change out of your workout clothing into something fresh and clean. If your workout didn’t make you break a sweat then you’re probably good to go.

5. Wash Your Workout Clothes

Workout clothing should be washed after every wear. It doesn’t have to be washed immediately, but it’s good if you can. Workout clothing takes a beating. Sweat stains and odor can set in. Maybe you can make it a habit of dropping them in the washer as soon as you take them off.

6. Congratulate Yourself on Another Workout Well Done

Getting a workout in is difficult for most of us. Life presses in on you with many demands. You have to intentionally make it a priority. Doing this is worth congratulating yourself over. You made another healthy choice and you’re pursuing an active lifestyle.

7. Reward Yourself for All Your Hard Work

Of course you can’t reward yourself in a big way every day. But what about a small reward? Maybe allow yourself to sit on your patio and indulge in a good novel for a half hour or something similar. Once in a while, it’s good to reward yourself with something big. Maybe you don’t miss a workout for 2 weeks so you treat yourself to a new pair of shoes. You can choose whatever is right for you for your reward.

These are 7 things you should do after your workout. What would you add to the list? I’m sure you have some great suggestions!