Hot Weather Exercise | male-care.com

Hot Weather Exercise --
Avoid Becoming a Heat Casualty

The heat of summer is here and the warm weather draws us outside for play, yardwork, and exercise. But often enough we end up in the middle of a heat wave. Day after day of insufferable heat and high humidity making it unbearable to be out doors.

Your body temperature naturally rises when you exercise, so running or working out on a hot summer day can be dangerous if you don't take certain precautions. What do you do when it is so hot, yet you don't want to take a break from your exercise routine?

If you like to run, walk, or jog, or your workout routine takes you outdoors, you should adjust your routine time of day to the early morning before the heat of the day or in the evening after the sun goes down. The hottest time of the day is between 12 noon and 4 p.m. You run the risk of becoming a heat casualty if your workout schedule only allows you to get out during this time of the day.

The extreme heat and humidity can sap your strength and endurance very quickly and add extra stress to your heart and lungs, but the real danger is from dehydration. Your body is a amazing in the way it can cool itself down, but hot weather exercise will bring about fluid loss through perspiration very quickly. Here are a couple of tips to help avoid dehydration:

1. Prehydrate. An hour before you run or workout, begin sipping water so that it takes you approximately 60 minutes to drink 8 - 16 oz. The key is to consume small amounts spread out over the hour so that your body has a fluid reserve ready. Sipping the water over time prior to your run or exercise routine means you won't have a stomach full of water sloshing around and your body will already have most of the water processed into your system. If 16 oz is too much for you, feel free to cut back. Even a smaller amount will give you a head start.

2. Shorten your exposure. Try taking a shorter route than you normally would run or cut back on your workout routine to lessen your time in the heat and give your body a break. Even cutting back just 20% will help a great deal without negatively affecting your workout cycle.

3. Take breaks. Taking frequent "minnie" breaks to sip water or your favorite sports drink will help make up for your body's excessive fluid loss due to perspiration.

4. Have a partner. Having a workout or running mate is always a good idea for motivation and inspiration. You and your partner can also look out for each other by keeping an eye out for heat injury symptoms and reminding one another to take hydration breaks.

The main goal is to avoid becoming a heat casualty. Dehydration and elevated body temperature can be life threatening. In my time in the U.S. Army, I saw strong, hard core soldiers crumple under the effects of heat injury in the field. It is important that you recognize the symptoms of heat injury and know how to treat them.

Heat cramps: Painful cramping usually in the legs, but also possibly in the arms or abdomen are caused by excessive salt loss from heavy perspiration and sustained exertion. Treatment for heat cramps is to get in a shaded or air conditioned area for rest. Massaging the arms and legs to increase circulation can help alleviate the cramping symptoms. Sports drinks contain sodium and potassium to help replace these minerals quickly. Your workout is done for the day.

Heat Exhaustion: More serious than heat cramps with symptoms of heavier than normal sweating, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and headache. Your body temperature my reach 104 degrees. Treatment is to immediately get to a cooler environment, cease physical activity and rehydrate. You're through exercising for the rest of the day and you should take the next day off as well. A person suffering from heat exhaustion will have moist skin which may be cool to the touch. This is important to note because this symptom differentiates from heat stroke.

Heat Stroke: Similar symptoms to heat exhaustion except that the victim has completely dehydrated and is no longer perspiring. Skin is warm and dry due to lack of sweat. The body at this point has extreme elevated temperature. A heat stroke victim may loose consciousness. This is the most serious of the three heat injures and can quickly lead to brain damage and kidney or liver failure. You must lower the victims body temperature as fast as possible. Douse the body with cold water and fan. Place ice packs under the groin and armpits to help cool the blood flowing through the major arteries. Call an ambulance or get this person to an emergency room immediately! Heat stroke can be fatal.

Heat injuries are serious. Avoid becoming a heat casualty by listening to your body and recognizing the signs of a heat injury coming so you can back off your physical exertion. There's no need to take risks. Play it safe. The hot weather will pass soon enough and you can get back to your regular exercise routine.

Hot weather exercise may lead to a heat injury. Be careful.