The hottest days of summer in Georgia still lie ahead. If you have been maintaining a consistent workout since summer began, you’ve likely noticed a change in the way your body is reacting to the heat.
“Everyone’s ability to work out in the heat is going to be very different,” Dr. Michael Kraft, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Credit: Emory
Credit: Emory
During high temperature days and weeks, especially when “wet-bulb” conditions are reached, it is important to recalibrate any workouts, indoor or outdoor, to make sure your body is taking the time to recover. Wet-bulb temperatures occur when the mix of heat and humidity make it hard for sweat to evaporate off the body, thus halting the cooling process.
For some, especially older adults with medical conditions that predispose them for dehydration and overheating, Kraft recommends being mindful of any activity outdoors.
“There’s a whole litany of things that occur as we start to age that can cause us to not be able to dissipate the heat well,” Kraft said.
If watching the excitement of the Peachtree Road Race this past weekend inspired you to start running or walking — and you don’t want to lose momentum waiting for cooler temperatures — maintain your safety and stamina with these guidelines.
Take time to acclimatize
Your body will not just adjust to much higher temperatures overnight. To properly get your body where it needs to be for strenuous summer activities, you first must acclimatize. According to Kraft, this can be a 10 to 14 day process.
“On days one through three, you can do short or light to moderate sessions,” Kraft recommended. “Days four to seven, you want to increase the duration and intensity as tolerable.”
Once your body has passed through these sessions and been able to maintain intensity without too much resistance, days eight to 14 can be aimed at a more strenuous pace.
Recovery and getting enough downtime during this process are key, and skipping parts of the acclimatization process will only slow you down in the long run.
“People undervalue the acclimatization process. So, they’ll run on treadmills and they’ll run in nice, controlled areas, then all of a sudden they’re running in Georgia,” Kraft explained.
Allowing your body to adjust after a hard activity is important as well.
“When you finish (a) race, a big thing is to keep walking. People who sometimes just stop when they’re done can feel very light-headed because all the blood is in their lower extremities,” Kraft explained. “So, just keep walking to help slowly get some of that fluid out and push it back to your brain until you cool off.”
Watch out for ‘Heart Attack Hill’
During any strenuous workout, whether it’s a marathon run or a HIIT workout, there is a moment where your body is asked to be pushed harder than any other moment in the session. Kraft refers to this as “heart attack hill,” which can be especially dangerous during hot, summer months.
“Athletes try to push through their threshold a little bit, but once they hit it, their form starts to degrade,” he said. “And that’s when they end up getting injured.”
According to Kraft, runners should take shorter, quick steps when going uphill, as that helps to conserve energy. He also said runners should anticipate their pace to slow down by five to 10 percent when running uphill.
“Lean slightly forward to help allow gravity to help you propel forward,” Kraft advised. “Engage your core, use your arms and run by effort, not pace.”
Hydrate properly
Before a big workout, especially in the heat, proper hydration can be the difference between finishing and having to quit halfway through.
Kraft suggests drinking 16 to 20 ounces of water, along with some electrolytes, two to three hours before a big run or similar workout. Fifteen minutes before your exercise, drink about 8 ounces of water.
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
After the workout is finished, one of the fastest ways to cool down is through “just drinking cold water,” Kraft said. Make sure not to drink too much water though, or you can develop water toxicity which lowers your sodium levels.
Ice packs on all the major arteries is also a great way to cool someone down quickly. If you have access to an ice bath, make sure the water is no less than 50 degrees.
“Any colder could potentially put them in shock,” Kraft explained.
While going through the acclimatization process, monitoring your urine color is another great way to make sure you are hydrating properly. It should be pale yellow if you’re properly hydrated.
Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke
While both are very dangerous conditions, heat exhaustion and heat stroke have many key differences.
If someone has heat exhaustion, they may experience fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea or heavy sweating, all of which can easily be recovered from through appropriate hydration.
“If you’re outside running and you’re starting to feel heat exhaustion, sit down in the shade, hydrate, and relax,” Kraft suggested.
However, the signs of heat stroke are a bit more dire.
“If you see someone out there who is confused, has dry skin, a lack of sweating and if their body temperature is really high, then that is a medical emergency and they need to be evaluated quickly,” Kraft said.
If during a workout you start to feel dizzy and weak, that is a huge sign that something is wrong.
“If you stop sweating, that’s a big problem,” Kraft said. “That means your body’s losing the physiological ability to do that.”
When working out, it may feel right to push your body to the limit and see how hard you can work. However, this heat is nothing to play with and you should always look out for yourself over aiming for a personal record.
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