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Friday, June 18, 2010

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

Summer is here and I was blatantly reminded of it as I stepped outside for my morning run this morning. Normally, I try to get have my feet hitting the pavement by 6:30 am to avoid the heat but this morning I decided to sleep in, eat breakfast with my husband, and go for my run after he left for work. I could tell I was going to have to make adjustments to my planned workout as I noticed at least a 10 degree temperature increase from what I'm used to. It's never a good idea to try to maintain you regular pace in scorching temperatures like I was experiencing. The news said it was 87 but the heat index caused it to feel much hotter. In order to deal with the heat and without having to cancel my workout, I had to make several adjustments.

First, I decided to slow my tempo down a bit. The hotter it is, the slower your pace should be in order to stay safe. In fact, I'm normally not one to take walk breaks, but in summer heat, sometimes I find I have to if I want to get in my whole workout without paying for in the form of headaches and nausea for the rest of the day. I'd much rather swallow my pride and walk every so often than end up with a heat stroke from overdoing it.

Second, before I hit the road, I went back in the house to grab a water bottle in order to make sure I could stay hydrated. As the temperature rises, your sweat output increases, which means you need to replenish your fluids more often. I try to make sure I have some sort of electrolyte in my hydration on hot days as well. You can purchase electrolyte tablets or powders to mix in your water, swig gatorade, or drink smart water or another electrolyte-infused water. I discovered Pure Fitness powders by the makers of Crystal Light and love them!

Third, I put some sunscreen on my face. I keep reading about more and more outdoor exercisers who are suffering the effects of sun damage and want to minimize my risks as much as possible. Some of my friends like to wear visors or hats, which is a great idea, but I find I get headaches from wearing them when I run and I feel like my head can't "breathe" enough with them on, so that approach does not work for me, but if you can handle it, I highly recommend it.

In an ideal world, we'd all get our outdoor workouts in before the sun comes up to avoid all of these adjustments, but in our realistic world, it's not always possible. So, rather than forgo your workout, just make sure you take the necessary accommodations to make sure your activities are as safe and pleasurable as possible so you can continue to maintain your fit, active healthy lifestyle. Let me know if you have any other tips. How do you battle the summer heat as you strive to stay active. I look forward to hearing from you at plankerpower@gmail.com Hope to see you out there on the road this summer. Stay safe and active!

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