Feelin' the Heat: Exercising Comfortably All Summer Long!
It seems that summer has come roaring in! Personally I'm pretty excited about it since I'll take sweaty and sticky over long pants and a sweater any day. But with the hot weather come some challenges for even the most intrepid of us outdoor exercisers. Here are some tips to help you exercise safely and comfortably all summer long:
1. Avoid exercising during the hottest part of the day.
A great thing about summer is that with the early sunrise it's really easy to get up and get your workout over with before you start your day. Make yourself do it just two or three times I bet you'll be hooked! If that's a truly impossible task, however, you also get a later sunset which gives you time to go out after work while it's still light.
2. Stay Hydrated.
Before you go: If you like to go out early in the morning be sure to have a drink before you go. (Even better: if you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, grab a drink before you go back to bed.) If you prefer to go later in the day then make sure you have a steady supply of water throughout the day.
While you're exercising: Especially if you're planning a long session it's important to have water with you. You bikers have it pretty easy with the water bottle holders on your bikes. But those of us who run or walk need to either acquaint ourselves with the local water fountains, carry a water bottle, or use one of the nifty water bottle belts.
After you're done: Drink up! You're thirst level is usually a pretty good guide for how much you need, but you should check your urine, too. If you're well-hydrated it will look a lot like water. When you start seeing fun neon colors in the toilet then you haven't had enough.
This is a whole other blog post on it's own, but as an aside, unless you've done something totally extreme, go ahead and leave the sports drink on the shelf—cold water will do the trick perfectly.
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