Fitness Activities, Hot Weather And Dehydration
Filed under: Health and Fitness
It is the middle of the summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
Hot weather is upon us and can affect our fitness routines. When the weather
gets excessively hot, worse if it is hot and humid we must take extra care
with our fitness routines.
It is probably worth cutting back on the intensity of the routine and possibly
even the distance. Think of it as maintenance time rather than improvement
time. The cooler times of the day, mornings or late evenings are the best
times to do your routines. Definitely stay out of the extreme heat of the middle
of the day and late afternoon.
Your choice of clothing should be light-weight, tight-knit but loose fitting variety.
Choose light colors and material that wick sweat away from your body. This
has the double duty of making you feel more comfortable and also providing
you with some cooling effect as the moisture evaporates from the cloth. Wear
a hat and consider misting it down as well.
Make sure you have plenty of water with you; enough for you to drink and to
also splash on your self if need be for extra cooling effect. Better yet if you
can handle the extra load take a spray bottle along to mist yourself with
periodically. Make sure to drink enough as you are exercising and continue
on after you complete the work out.
Dehydration can be a deadly foe of working out in this kind of weather. You
need to be considering more than just the time of your work-out especially
if you are a more vintage person. Dehydration can gradually develop over a
period of days and develop into heat exhaustion in the middle of your workout.
Things to keep in mind:
Drink plenty of fluids of the water and sports drink variety.
Avoid drinking alcoholic drinks, tea, coffee and sodas as these tend to aid in
dehydration.
Drugs that you may be taking may have a dehydrating effect; acting as a
diuretic and depleting your body of water and electrolytes. Check with your
doctor or pharmacist to be sure.
As I mentioned earlier dehydration can develop over a period of days. Some
symptoms to be aware of are:
Thirst
Less frequent urination
Darker that normal urination
Dizziness and confusion
Dry mouth and mucous membranes
Increased heart rate and or breathing
Some of these symptoms are ongoing daily observations; if you notice some
of them in yourself or partner as you are going through your workout stop
and get into a shady area. Drink water; mist the body with water to help cool down.
If you or your partner exhibits the following symptoms:
Weakness or dizziness with nausea or headache.
Cool, clammy skin and/or excessive sweating.
Ashen color.
Extreme thirst, loss of appetite and dry mouth.
weak or tired muscles that may cause collapse or cramping.
It is suggested by medical experts that you seek medical assistance immediately.
Lets all keep cooler heads (pardon the pun) use common sense and enjoy a
more subdued workout in the heat.
Good walking, keep cool and . . .
remember . . . you . . . look . . . marvelous!
Bill Jensen operates http://myhealthandfitnessstrategies.com/ a blog all about fitness of mind,, body and spirit. He loves giving away free things and is now giving away free membership to his monthly newsletter. You are not going to believe what you get when you sign up and it’s all free!
http://myhealthandfitnessstrategies.com/
Tags: fitness activites, fitness and deahydration, hot weather fitness
Leave a Reply