Exercising in hot weather can be safe as long as you follow a few rules. Hot weather does not mean you have to hide in an air-conditioned fitness club or give up training at all. Find out why warm tea cools better than a cold drink in hot weather, what to eat before training and how to exercise so as not to overheat your body.
Training in hot weatheris more tiring because the body radiates much more heat during exercise than under normal conditions. When training at high temperatures, you need to be especially careful and monitor the body's reactions to increased effort on an ongoing basis. Symptoms such as: feeling weak, increased heart rate, dizziness, dry mouth, muscle tremors are typical signs of dehydration, which are easy to get when training in hot weather. Heatstroke is even more dangerous, and it threatens people who exercise in full sun without a hat.
How to prevent dehydration and prevent overheating? Here are the most important rules of exercise in the heat, the observance of which will ensure a safe and comfortable training.
1. Training in the heat: drink warm tea
The need to drink plenty of water in hot weather is obvious. However, not everyone knows how to do it properly. Many people make the mistake of thinking that drinking 1 liter of water at a time before training will protect them from dehydration. Meanwhile, by drinking in this way, we do not quench our thirst, but burden the heart, which has to move more fluids in the body. So how do you stay hydrated efficiently and wisely?
- Plan to drink water 1-2 hours before training. Drink in small sips and no more than 0.4 liters of fluid per hour. A larger amount will flush out vitamins and minerals from the body;
- to drink, choose mineral water or isotonic drink, which will replenish electrolytes;
- an hour before training, on a hot day, eat something s alty - e.g. yellow cheese, sticks, soup, pickles. In this way, you provide your body with sodium, which is responsible for maintaining electrolyte balance;
- drink a small amount of water during training, preferably 100-150 ml every 20 minutes;
- before and after training, it is worth drinking a glass of warm mint tea - warm drinks stimulate the receptors on thelanguage that send a signal to the body that is hotter. As a result, the body begins to cool down. Drinking cold fluids is counter-productive, as they only provide temporary relief and actually increase your body temperature.
2. Training in the heat: switch to a Mediterranean diet
One hour before training, eat something that will not burden your stomach, give you energy and at the same time keep you hydrated. Mediterranean diet products based on fresh vegetables and fruits are a good solution. In hot weather, it is worth eating especially watermelons, cucumbers, apples, melons, and tomatoes. The latter are additionally a rich source of potassium, which regulates the body's water balance. Yoghurts are also perfect - they are light and contain protein, the basic building block of muscles. It is also worth including whole grain cereal products in your diet, which will ensure a feeling of satiety and replenish your energy reserves.
3. The best water sports for the heat
The hot summer is the perfect time to start going to the swimming pool regularly. You can swim on your own and sign up for group aqua aerobics classes. This form of activity gives a respite from the heat, refreshes, and at the same time helps to lose unnecessary kilograms. If you spend your vacation by the sea, in addition to lounging on the beach, enter the water from time to time.
Hot days are also a good opportunity to try water sports. During the summer holidays, sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, as well as recently fashionable wakeboarding and flyboarding are very popular.
If you focus on urban sports - running, cycling, rollerblading - train in a cooler place and do not expose yourself to constant sunlight.
4. The right time to train in the heat
Avoid training during the hours of the sun's strongest sun exposure, that is, between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Choose either early morning hours (5.00 a.m. - 6.00 a.m.) or evening hours.
5. Training in shaded areas
Try to train in places that provide natural protection against heat - forests, parks, gardens, by the water. Avoid open spaces with constant sun and hot asph alt roads and sidewalks. When running or cycling, plan your route so that there is a source of water to cool off by, such as a city fountain or sprinklers.
ImportantSome people give up outdoor exercise completely in hot weather, choosing air-conditioned fitness clubs and gyms. Training in such a place provides greater comfort, but on the other hand, it increases the likelihood of catching a cold. A sudden change in temperature that occurs when exitingan air-conditioned building outdoors lowers immunity and promotes the development of infection. In extreme cases, it can lead to thermal shock. Therefore, if you plan to train in an air-conditioned room during hot weather, make sure that the temperature inside is lower than the outside temperature by a maximum of 6 degrees. A bigger difference can be bad for your he alth.
6. Training in the heat - the outfit depends on the length of the planned exercises
When choosing an outfit for training on a hot day, avoid dark colors that accumulate heat. Clothing should be bright, light and airy. For longer workouts, wear blouses that cover your shoulders and back to avoid skin burns. For shorter workouts, clothes that reveal as much of the body as possible will work, so that the sweat can evaporate freely from the skin. Choose breathable fabrics instead of cotton. Remember also about comfortable socks (in the heat it is much easier to get corns) and a hat - necessarily light and in bright colors so as not to stop the heat from flowing through the head.
7. Protection against solar radiation
Before training on a hot day, apply a high filter on the exposed parts of the body. This way, you will protect your skin from the effects of harmful solar radiation. Focus primarily on the most sensitive areas: lips, arms, the tips of the ears, face.