Summer Workouts

This week I want to talk to you about summer safe exercise. While we never want to tell anyone to sit out a day from moving around, there are some situations in which it may be better to hold off for at least a few hours. Now that July is upon us, the temperatures are going to get even higher and the humidity isn’t going to be far behind. These can combine to create extremely dangerous conditions for anyone who may be outside for extended periods of time and sometimes you should avoid this if at all possible.
Earlier this week, temperatures reached 100° in certain areas on the east coast. While we have learned to expect this in places in the southern United States, even states as far north as New York were in severe heat advisories due to the conditions. Every person that ran by my front windows, I offered water to simply to help them replenish any they lost during exercise. Hydration is key whether you are running or simply sitting outside on days like these, as you can fall victim to heat related illnesses extremely quickly and once these set in, it is difficult to get yourself back to a healthy state on your own.
If you do want to still exercise when the weather is so severe, we suggest you either do so inside where there is air conditioning or not exercise between 9 am and 6 pm. When the sun is up and high in the sky, any exposure can quickly dehydrate you and the sun isn’t too great for your skin either. Either exercise outside early in the morning or later in the evening once the sun isn’t beating down too hard. If you do need to be outside for work or yard work, be sure to take breaks often and hydrate a lot. It is also a good idea to brush up on the symptoms of heat related illnesses so that you can identify them in yourself of those you see outside.
Having a structured exercise plan is a good thing, however it needs to be flexible enough to allow for situations like these. It is more dangerous for you to be outside in weather like this than it is to skip a single day of running, so remember to be smart about what you do and when you do it. You don’t want to end up in the hospital for something avoidable like heat stroke!