The dog days of summer are here and it’s hazy, hot and really, really humid. Now to the average person, that means staying indoors and enjoying the breeze from an air conditioner or perhaps sipping a nice cold glass of iced tea.
But what do 90-degree days mean to the local exercise buff? Stay inside to beat the heat and forget the workouts - or continue with the running, the jogging and the power walking?
The answer, it seems, lies somewhere in between.
According to experts, exercising in extreme heat can be dangerous, even life threatening if you don’t take precautions. At no time is that more true than right now.
“It is easier to become overheated and possibly succumb to a heat-related illness like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke when you are working out in the hot weather,” says Dr. Brian McGovern, assistant chairman of the Emergency Department at Norwalk Hospital.
But if you do work out in the heat, McGovern says, listen to your body. “If you feel anything as simple as being short-winded or dizzy, then stop what you are doing, go in a cool place and keep hydrated,” he says.
“The number one problem is dehydration,” echoes Jinger Berry, the lifestyle counseling manager at the Health Fitness Institute in Stamford. “Water is the most important nutrient. It makes up 70 percent of muscle and 75 percent of the brain. So remember the eight glasses of day rule!”
And stay away from the coffee and beer, Berry adds.
“You should also avoid caffeine and alcohol in the summer because it depletes your water sources, and increases the rate of dehydration,” she says.
Dr. Robert Femia, the medical director of Emergency Medicine at Greenwich Hospital says: “Some signs of heat exposure are cramps, dizziness, light-headedness, and even fainting and if you experience any of these symptoms then you should replenish yourself.”
To help the body recover, Femia urges those who exercise drink sports drinks such as Gatorade instead of water, because they contain electrolytes. “When you sweat you use electrolytes, and fatigue and cramps are a common symptom for people lacking in electrolytes,” he explains.
There are also other tips for those who feel the need to work out in the hot weather.
If you must work out outdoors, for example, McGovern recommends complementing your workout with a nice dip in the water. “Anything around a pool,” he says. “Water is an efficient way to cool down; even better than air.”
McGovern also suggests that people should “start their exercises earlier in the day or later at night and avoid the high intensity times from 10 (a.m.) to 2 (p.m.).”
Berry agrees.
“Mid-day should be avoided,” she says. And she adds that some common sense must be used, too. She says that when exercising in the heat you should “take it easier, the hotter it is, and especially if there is high humidity.”
Berry also recommends wearing loose and light colored clothing when working out. “A hat is very important too,” she adds, “but sun visors are the best. You also have to be careful of sun damage to the skin. Use lots of sunscreen.”
Femia adds that certain people should be especially careful when working out in the heat, those who have respiratory problems such as asthma, for example. “Respiratory problems flare up with humidity and symptoms can get worse,” he says.
So the bottom line, says Femia, is simply to exercise good judgment.
“You don’t have to lock yourself inside,” he says, “Just know your own system.”
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