Summer is starting to heat up! For those of us who like to spend time outdoors, we need to be a little extra prepared doing outdoor activities this season. Here are some tips to safely work out outdoors this summer!
- Hydrate hydrate hydrate
- I can’t say this enough! The hotter it is outside, the more you sweat. The risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke increase as the temperature increases.
- Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.
- Drink water before, during, and after your workout.
- Bring a water bottle with you.
- Aim to drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water. For example, if you weight 180 lb, aim to drink 90 fl oz of water. (It’s a lot of water, I know, but you can also get water from food.
- Add in some extra electrolytes if you need an extra boost of hydration.
- If you’re urine is dark and you’re feeling thirsty, it means you need to drink water. Listen to your body!
- Work out early in the morning or later in the evening
- Avoid working out midday when the sun is at its peak. Working out in the morning or in the evening when it’s cooler will decrease the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
- It’ll also feel nicer to work out when it’s cooler.
- Do activities in the shade if possible
- Exercising in shady areas will help you feel cooler.
- If there’s shade you can rest there before continuing on with your activity. If there aren’t many shaded areas, take more rest breaks.
- Bring a cooling towel
- These towels are great because once they’re wet they get really cold which feels great on a hot summer day.
- Bonus – you can get a hand fan or portable fan to also keep you cool while you’re outdoors.
- Apply sunscreen
- Prevent sunburns by applying sunscreen. I learned from an esthetician that the number on the SPF is roughly how long the sunscreen will last. For example, if a sunscreen has 50 SPF, you’ll need to reapply in 50 minutes. Not sure if it’s 100% true, but it’s an easy way to remember to reapply sunscreen.
- Wait 10-15 minutes after applying sunscreen before you head outside. It takes time for the sunscreen to be absorbed!
Summer is such a fun season, and these tips will help you stay cool and hydrated as things start to heat up!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post! For more fitness tips or if you have any fitness questions, contact me here!
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