"This warm-up is especially necessary on cold days"—a physical therapist shares a five-minute mobility routine for runners

It's so easy to skip warming up before a run. After all, mustering up the energy to get out there for a run in the first place can be tough enough.

But making some time to warm up your muscles is so important. Not only will it reduce your risk of injury, there's every chance it will improve your running performance.

Plus, it doesn't have to take a long time. In fact, physical therapist Dr Kaylee Kuzma recently shared a warm-up routine that only takes five minutes, but it mobilizes the entire body. Performing it indoors can also help you generate some body heat, which can help you deal with the cold when you step outside.

How to do Dr Kaylee Kuzma's five-minute running warm-up

You don't need any equipment to do this warm-up and all of the movements are completed standing.

There are six exercises and Kuzma recommends completing each one for 40 seconds.

The importance of warming up when it's cold outside

Kuzma specifies in her Reel that this warm-up is especially necessary on cold days. That's because warm-ups do what they say on the tin—warm your muscles.

When your body is cold, your muscles are stiffer than normal. This can increase the risk of injury or muscle strains while running. Doing mobility exercises like those recommended by Kuzma will raise your body temperature and make your muscles more flexible.

Warming up will also prepare your body for exercise by gradually elevating your heart rate, so you don't shock your body by going into the cold and raising your heart rate suddenly.

I think it's worth taking the five minutes needed to do these dynamic stretches before your next run and if you do it consistently, you may find your flexibility improving too.