How to Exercise in Warm Weather

• Step 1 Timing is everything

  Stay out of the midday sun. Direct sunlight quickly raises your skin temperature to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the healthy reading of 98.6. Exercising before 10 am or after 4 pm spares you from the most intense sunlight.

  The air temperature may remain in the 90s or 100s until well into the evening, however, so plan on after-sundown workouts if you usually exercise after work. When you must exercise during the day, slather on the sunscreen. Sunburn makes exercising uncomfortable and prevents your skin from properly cooling off your body.

• Step 2 Build up to it

  An article in the Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science begins, “Subsequent to repeated bouts of exercise in a hot environment, there is a marked improvement in the physiologic responses of healthy humans.” Translated, this means that the more you exercise in the heat, the less you suffer from doing so. While people can adapt to almost any weather, they perform best when they ease into their workout routines and take the time to become acclimated to warmer temperatures.

  During the first days of hot weather, cut back on how long and how hard you exercise. Then extend your workout each day until you reach your regular targets.

• Step 3 Water, water, most of the time

  Drink two to four 8-oz. glasses of water for every hour you spend outside exercising. You need to replace the water you sweat away. As logical as that is, you want to avoid drinking so much water that you dilute the salts and minerals in your body.

  To avoid the risk of overhydrating, opt for a sports drink instead of water every now and then. Health problems due to the depletion of salts and minerals typically occur after 60 to 90 minutes of sustained exercise.

  You should not rely on sport drinks alone, though, because consuming too many sugary and sweet drinks can cause other problems. Sports drinks can induce stomach cramps, and they draw water into you stomach and away from your muscles.

• Step 4 Dress for the occasion

  Make loose shorts and lightweight t-shirts your workout wear during the summer. Avoid dark colors, too. Pastels and whites reflect heat away from your body. At the same time, leaving a fair amount of skin exposed aids in cooling by allowing sweat to evaporate.

  If you exercise frequently, consider buying high-tech wicking workout wear. This clothing contains mostly synthetic fabrics that draw sweat off you skin and passes the moisture into the air without becoming soaked and heavy like cotton.

• Step 5 Know when you’ve done too much

  Muscle cramps and light-headedness signify that you’ve overdone your hot-weather workout. Both occur as a result of sweating out too much water and too many minerals, leaving your body unable to regulate its internal temperature and putting yourself at risk for heat exhaustion.

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to watch for these signs of heat exhaustion:

  • Heavy sweating
  • Paleness
  • Muscle cramps
  • Tiredness
  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Fainting

  Left untreated, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke — a potentially fatal spike in body temperature. If you experience symptoms of heat exhaustion, stop what you’re doing and seek treatment immediately. It can save your life.

  To recover from heat exhaustion, sit or lie in an air-conditioned room and sip cool, nonalcoholic drinks. Sports drinks, in particular, can help you recover from a hot-weather workout you've pushed too far. You may also benefit from taking a cool — not cold — shower or bath. When overheated, plunging into cold water will shock your system.

  Once you have cooled off, take it easy for the rest of the day.

RELATED QUESTIONS