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Health & Fitness Tip #1 - July 2005
Exercising in the Summer
Preventing Heat Related Problems
As the temperatures rise, more and more people of all ages engage in outdoor activities. Exercising in the heat can cause heat-related illnesses. Those who are sweating excessively generally experience heat rash further worsened by wearing tight fitting sweat saturated clothing. Heat Cramps are another common heat related problem. Sweating causes the body to loose salt leading to often painful involuntary muscle cramping. More dangerous then these two heat related problems are heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Heat Exhaustion
Excessive exposure to high temperatures can overwhelm the body’s own temperature regulating mechanisms. Those who become unable to cool the body down usually appear ashen. Dizziness, weakness, disorientation accompanied by a pale, cool and clammy skin are all warning signs of heat exhaustion. Failure to address this heat related illness can lead to an escalation and heat stroke, a life threatening condition.
Heat Stroke
Individuals with heat stroke will show flushed skin that feels hot to the touch with a minimal or fully absent sweat production. Confusion and fainting are additional signs of this severe heat illness that needs to be addressed immediately to save the persons life.
How can we reduce the risk of heat illness?
The best way to prevent heat related illness is to avoid dehydration. Replenishing the body’s fluid losses by drinking water, sports drinks (can cause upset stomach) or juice flavored water are a far better choices than caffeinated or alcoholic beverages (drastically lower hydration value).
We suggest you follow these recommendations on fluid intake while exercising outdoors in the heat (water can be replaced by a sports drink or juice flavored water beverage):
- Two to three hours prior to exercise, drink approximately 20 ounces of water.
- Ten to twenty minutes before exercising add another 10 ounces of water.
- While exercising try to replenish the system with at least 10 ounces of water every 20 minutes.
- After exercising refuel by drinking approximately 20 ounces of water for every pound of body weight lost during the exercises.
Besides staying hydrated there are other ways of preventing heat illnesses. Wearing light loose fitting and breathable clothes, acclimating your body slowly (gradually increase work-out time and intensity over 14 days), avoiding the hottest times of the day and using sun protection such as hats and sun screen can ensure a healthy and fun filled summer of exercising.