Today, I’m sharing two tips to stay safe as the temperatures rise.
Summer is just around the corner. For many of us, that means higher temperatures and potentially dangerous conditions for outdoor activities like exercise. Today, Get-Fit Guy is sharing two tips to stay safe as the temperatures rise.
Get-Fit Guy is hosted by Dr. Jonathan Su. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Welcome back to Get-Fit Guy. I’m your host, Dr. Jonathan Su. Every week, I’ll share science-backed tips to help you get fit, stay fit, and optimize performance.
Summer is just around the corner and outdoor activities such as walking, running, hiking, and biking are popular ways to stay in shape and enjoy the warm weather. Out here in Northern California, we’ve already experienced a couple of weeks where temperatures have reached the mid-80s.
I’m one of those people who naturally run warmer than others and I also sweat a lot, so temperatures in the mid-80s are about the limit of comfort for me. You won’t find me outdoors in weather warmer than that unless I’m soaking in a swimming pool and sipping on ice-cold lemonade.
My family and I definitely enjoy being active outdoors during the summer. We love hiking the endless trails that the San Francisco Bay Area has to offer, especially ones that lead to secluded beaches where we can take a dip to cool off.
But physical activities during warm weather also come with some risks that you should be aware of. Keep listening to find out 2 summer fitness safety tips that’ll help you avoid the dangers that can arise from the summer heat so you can stay active outdoors all summer long.
One of the most important considerations when participating in physical activity outdoors as the weather heats up is adequate fluid intake. About 60 percent of the adult human body is made of water.
Water is vital for regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients throughout our bodies, flushing waste, and lubricating joints. You can go without food for about three weeks but you can only last 3 or 4 days without water.
The human body cools itself through sweating, so water requirements increase during exercise in the heat. You can lose as much as a gallon of water per hour when exercising in the heat just from sweating.
If you're dehydrated, your body will have a harder time regulating temperature. This can result in your body overheating and possibly lead to dangerous conditions such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Stay safe when working out in the summer months by making sure you drink plenty of water so that your body functions properly. The amount of water you should drink varies depending on your weight.
In general, you should drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water every day for each pound you weigh. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, it would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day.
Note that this is the amount of water you need just to stay hydrated without factoring in water loss through exercise. Participating in physical activities outdoors when the weather is warm means you’ll need to drink even more water.
The American Council on Exercise suggests drinking about 2 to 3 cups of water 2 hours before working out and about 1 cup of water every 10 to 20 minutes during your workout.
It’s also a good idea to weigh yourself without clothes before and after your workout because the difference in your weight is a good indicator of your water loss during your workout.
Drink 2 cups of water for every pound of body weight you’ve lost after exercise. For example, if you’ve lost 2 pounds during your workout, you should drink 4 cups of water after your workout.
As we move into summer, you should also keep an eye on the heat index. The heat index is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity.
Also known as the apparent temperature, it’s what the temperature feels like to the human body. Heat index is an important consideration because the same air temperature at different levels of relative humidity will have an impact on how effectively your body can cool itself.
When your body gets too hot, it begins to perspire or sweat to cool itself. Evaporation of perspiration off the body is a cooling process that reduces the body's temperature.
When relative humidity is high, the rate of evaporation from the body decreases and your body feels warmer. You probably have experienced this if you’ve ever been to a tropical country for vacation and stepped off the plane in nearly 100 percent humidity. It feels like you’re in a steam room, making it difficult to breathe.
There's a direct relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity and the heat index. As the air temperature and relative humidity increase, the heat index increases.
Generally, when the heat index is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you should use extreme caution when heading outdoors for activity or intense exercise because there’s an increased risk of serious heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
We can look at the National Weather Service’s heat index chart to see how a change in relative humidity at a fixed air temperature can impact the heat index. For example, the heat index is at a comfortable 81 when relative humidity is 40 percent at 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, the heat index jumps to 91 when relative humidity is 90 percent at the same air temperature, making it unsafe to exercise outdoors. You can find the heat index by using your favorite weather app, watching your local news, or visiting the National Weather Service webpage for your local area.
I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am to spend the summer walking, running, hiking, and biking outdoors. In fact, we’re near the end of cherry picking season here in Northern California and I’ve been spending the weekends out in the sun with my family at cherry orchards picking and eating the juiciest, ripest, and sweetest cherries around.
I make sure to check the heat index before heading out and we bring plenty of cool water to wash the cherries and for my family to stay hydrated.
Remember to stay hydrated and to take your physical activities indoors when the heat index is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit and you’ll be able to enjoy summer without a hiccup.
If you have a question that you want me to answer on the show, email me at getfitguy@quickanddirtytips.com or leave me a voicemail at 510-353-3104.