Adobe Stock
7 tips for Working Out in Summer Heat Indoors or Outdoors
You don’t have to be outdoors to feel the impact of summer heat on your workout. If you’re exercising indoors, you can feel the effect of increased temperatures, here are ways to protect yourself indoors or outside.
The best type of exercise clothing allows your body to breathe as well as stay cool. Seek out sweat-wicking athletic apparel says Dr. Matt Leonard, an attending emergency physician at Suburban Hospital, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who spoke to NPR.
By the time you notice you’re thirsty, you may already be dehydrated. Make sure to drink water at least one hour before. The rule of thumb is 1/2 liter to a liter for every hour you’re exercising during warm conditions.
If your urine is not clear or close to clear, it’s a sign of dehydration, says Dr. Leonard.
Be careful about pushing yourself too hard in higher temperatures. Don’t try to tough it out if you can feel your body struggling in the heat. Instead, acknowledge your limits and ease up. Heat puts extra stress on your cardiovascular system.
Digesting food causes the body to create more heat. Therefore, if you eat before you exercise, you add to the increased summer heat that your body already has to deal with. Wait 2-3 hours before exercising after a meal. However, hydrate before, during, and after exercise.
Humid conditions make it harder for your sweat to evaporate, which in turn makes it more difficult for your body to cool itself off. Therefore, dry heat or less humid conditions can be easier on the body when exercising.
It will be easier on your body to exercise earlier in the morning or later in the evening when the air temperature is cooler during the hot summer months. The increased temperatures at midday can be 20 degrees higher or more than in the morning or evening. But there is another factor, the midday sun itself can add 20 degrees or more to the actual air temperature, according to Carol Ewing Garber, a professor of movement science at Columbia University, who spoke to NPR.
Your skin is your body’s cooling apparatus. When exercising outdoors, it’s essential to protect your skin by using sunscreen. In addition, loose, lightweight clothing that blocks the sun helps. Lastly, a lot of heat rises to the head, so wear a hat that provides shade to keep your head and face cooler.
