Summer Workouts: How to Stay Safe, Strong, and Hydrated
Gym fatigue is real. If you are putting in miles on a treadmill or stationary bike through the winter, the sunshine of outdoor movement is a welcome change from the gym. And while it is great to enjoy the fresh air, summer heat can bring its own challenges to working out.
As temperatures rise through the spring, it is common to experience weeks where the heat spikes, jumping 20 degrees or more as weather systems move through the area. While these hot spells can be a welcome mental change from the cold gray of winter, if you aren't prepared, the heat can leave you drained and have a huge impact on your workout quality.
Acclimatization Matters
A hot environment changes how your body reacts to and responds during exercise. Working out in the heat when you are not accustomed to it leads to:
increased core temperature
increased heart rate
lowered lactate threshold
decreased motor unit recruitment
These changes collectively lead to impairments in cardiovascular, nervous system and muscle endurance capacity that affect performance, especially during the first two weeks of heat exposure.
It takes one to two weeks for your body to adapt to the stresses of heat, including earlier onset of sweating, increased blood volume and lower core temperatures during exercise. While this period is crucial for successfully transitioning into the summer season, it is important to continue strategies to make the most of your summer training sessions through the whole season.
Here are a few of our favorite summer survival tips for endurance athletes.
Summer Survival Tips
1. Adapt your training to the weather -- especially the first two weeks of the summer season
Avoid the midday heat -- if possible, train in the mornings or evenings
Shorten your sessions or decrease intensity on particularly hot or humid days
Pay attention to how you feel during a workout and adjust accordingly
These tips are particularly relevant in the first two weeks as your body adjusts to higher ambient temperatures, but they also apply to heat spells throughout the summer so you can minimize risk of heat illness.
Pro tip: When looking at warm weather, humidity matters more than temperature. We primarily cool down through sweating and the evaporation of sweat off the skin. This mechanism works fine in any temperature weather, but when there is high relative humidity, the moisture in the air blocks our sweat mechanism, making it harder for an overheated system to cool down effectively.
2. Protect your skin and eyes
Our skin is crucial for temperature regulation. When it is damaged, such as with sun burn, it makes it harder to effectively maintain stable core temperature. This increases your risk of heat illness.
Wear loose-fitting, light-colored, moisture-wicking clothing
Wear sunblock during long training sessions
Consider sunglasses if you have light-colored eyes -- they may not regulate temperature, but you can sunburn your eyes!
3. Hydrate appropriately
Hydration needs vary per person based on sweat rate, sweat composition and other variables. But there are several good rules of thumb to follow to keep yourself hydrated.
Drink 8-12oz of fluid every 15-20min of exercise
Take periodic sips instead of gulping fluids
If working out over an hour or doing a high-intensity session, consider a sports drink
Pro tip: Thirst is not a good indicator of hydration status. If you wait to drink until thirsty, you are already under hydrated.
A note on nutrition: It takes heat to digest food, which bumps up your core temperature before you even start to work out. While acclimatizing or during summer heat spells, limit meal size within 1-2 hours before you work out to limit an increase in core temperature from digestion. Have a small snack instead or consider a carbohydrate drink before or during exercise.
4. Don't overhydrate
In recent years, endurance athletes have become more aware of heat illness and more proactive at fluid consumption -- which has lead to the problem of overhydrating. Called hyponatremia, overhydrating means that our electrolyte balance has been thrown off and the solution around our cells has become diluted, with less salt than we need to function well.
Electrolytes are substances that, when dissolved in water, conduct electricity. They include sodium, potassium, phosphate, calcium and magnesium. In our bodies, they are essential for muscle, nerve and organ function -- including your heart. When we do not have enough electrolytes in our body, our muscles, nerves and organs do not function properly and can cause symptoms very similar to heat illness, including:
Nausea
Dizziness
Fatigue
Confusion
We recommend following fluid intake guidelines, assessing urine color to check hydration status and pairing hydration with a small snack to make sure you have enough electrolytes.
Pro tip: Chocolate milk is a great way to rehydrate -- it includes fluid, carbohydrate, protein and electrolytes in the correct proportions for optimal recovery
6. Pay attention to your body
Heat illness develops as the body dehydrates and progressively worsens, if it is not quickly identified and treated. It is important to check in with yourself when you are working out to assess whether you are experiencing symptoms and whether they are worsening so you can adjust activity and keep yourself safe.
Signs of heat illness include:
Nausea
Dizziness
Confusion
Headache
Rapid heart rate
Muscle cramps
Impaired sweating or excessive sweating
Please note: The purpose of this article is not to discuss the finer aspects of heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke. Our quick rule of thumb: If someone is experiencing cognitive alterations or confusion and you suspect heat illness or hyponatremia, call 911. If someone is experiencing other symptoms of heat illness but is oriented and coherent, remove them from activity and the sun, give fluid and put a cold pack on their stomach or back of the neck to assist with cooling. If they do not feel better in 15-20 minutes, call 911.
Enjoying the summer sun doesn't mean your workouts have to suffer. Our heat survival tips are meant to keep you moving at your best so you can continue to hit PRs all summer long.
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