Staying Well Hydrated and Exercising in the Heat

I promised in my last blog that my next post would be on how to build physical activity into your daily routine. The extreme hot and humid weather has caused me to change my plans. I am now going to talk about staying well hydrated, and exercising in the heat.

During any physical exercise it is important to stay well hydrated, but during extreme heat conditions, it is extremely important. It doesn't take very long before you start to feel the effects of heat stress, exhaustion and eventually heat stroke. The first two can be debilitating, but heat stroke is deadly, especially for the young, old and the deconditioned.

If you are unaccustomed to exercising in warm or hot weather, it takes about two weeks to acclimate yourself. You need to start out slow, and limit your time, and increase the amount of exercise and the time slowly. Most people are no longer used to being outdoors in the heat. Going from an air conditioned home, to an air conditioned car, to get to an air conditioned destination, leaves people very unprepared for dealing with working out in the heat. Add to that the fact that one third of us are obese, and nearly half over weight, it is a recipe for trouble.

Before starting to exercise, be sure you are well hydrated. Your urine color should be the color of light lemonade, and not dark. Right before exercise, be sure to top off your tank with some water. Eating alot of fruits and vegetables also helps you stay hydrated due to their high water content. Unless you are going to be doing exercise for more than 60 minutes, or it is very vigorous exercise and the heat is extreme, water should suffice. If you are exercising for over 60 minutes, or doing vigorous activity in extreme heat, then a sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade may be beneficial. In extreme heat it is advisable to cool down your core body temperature right before exercise. This can be done by staying in air conditioning and eating a cold food item such as a freeze pop or popsicle.

Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing made from a wicking type material. The cotton T-shirt you bought on vacation 5 years ago will only trap the sweat against your body, thus defeating your bodies ability to regulate its heat. You should wipe away sweat whenever possible, especially during humid weather. The evaporation process that is critical for your body to stay cool is hampered when the air moisture content is high. Be sure to drink to thirst, which means you need to have water available at all times.

If you start to feel overheated, you need to immediately find a cooler spot, and use ice to cool your body quickly. At any sign of distress such as nausea, dizziness, confusion, a drop in blood pressure, etc. immediate medical assistance needs to be summoned using 911 before heat stroke occurs.

Next time I will continue with how to build exercise into your daily routine.

Stephen Stern, BS, CPT
Common Sense Fitness Personal Training
605 Washington Avenue
North Haven, Ct. 06473
203-530-1811
www.comsenfit.com
stepstern@comcast.net