Doing this after a workout is the ultimate exercise fail

Typical.

You do the hard work by getting yourself to the gym and think you're playing a blinder only to find out that you're doing things all wrong. When you've pushed yourself to the absolute limit in a hellish spin class or tough circuit challenge, you're just overjoyed that you can finally stop moving and the cooldown is often neglected. However, after hearing this professional advice, we're going to practice stretching ALWAYS because the repercussions of doing it wrong (or not doing it at all) are painful. Literally. Leila Fazel, who is the co-founder of Aerospace, a high-performance fitness centre based in New York, explained why stretching is absolutely key post-exercise. In conversation with Byrdie, she said:

"Stretching post-workout helps the breakdown of lactic acid that your body built up during exercise, releasing it through the muscles. Getting into the habit will help avoid injury and soreness, as well as drastically improve your flexibility".

Another thing that can happen after a workout is indulging in a big meal and this is another thing best avoided. After a strenuous workout, we often feel like we're absolutely starving but this can be somewhat of a false hunger.

"A grueling workout will leave your body stressed and, subsequently, your brain will think you're more ravenous than you actually are. That can end in unnecessary bingeing".

The fitness guru recommends giving yourself time to cool down before preparing yourself a meal so you don't overeat by accident.