You might be tempted to put an end to your outdoor exercise until winter, but as long as you take some precautions, there’s no reason you can’t carry on training – even through the hottest months. Fitness pro Corey Oliver, Managing Director of Original Fitness Co, told us how to work out safely in the summer heat.
Drink lots of water and electrolyte drinks.
Even in winter, you need at least four litres of water per day, because of the air conditioning and the humidity. In summer, you need to drink five litres, and that’s just in preparation for training. Say you have a session at 7.30pm, you should be drinking water all through the day to get your body hydrated. It’s just three of those 1.5-litre bottles – which isn’t that much when you think about it! You might have to go to the toilet all the time to start with, but after a while your body gets used to it. Have an electrolyte drink after working out to replace the sweat you’ve lost too. You lose such a lot of sweat in summer training outdoors, and need to put back in what you’ve taken out.
Wear loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes.
If you’re training in the direct sunlight, wear light colours. Black absorbs the heat, so go for whites, light greys, or other light colours. I find that wearing loose-fitting clothing in summer actually helps more than wearing tight-fitting sportswear. When you train in summer, and it gets really hot, you can actually find yourself struggling to breathe sometimes. So you want some breathing room for your body in your clothing – it’ll feel a lot better. Also, wear a cap and sunscreen to shield your face.
Reap the benefits.
You can get used to training in the extreme heat. Your body is working harder and your heart is pumping faster than it would be when you’re training at that intensity in cooler weather – the heat raises your body temperature which raises your heart rate too. So the effect is something like altitude training for professional athletes – when you come back to a normal environment your body and heart will be strengthened.
Cool down gradually.
If you’ve overheated, try getting into a lukewarm shower and then stand under the water for a while. Keep turning the dial down gradually to a cooler level, so your body gets used to the colder temperature over five-10 minutes. As you know, the showers here in the UAE don’t really get very cold in summer anyway!
Know when to take it easy.
When it gets to 45-50°C, especially in the middle of the day, you’ll need to acclimatise before you can exercise in that kind of heat. If someone starts to train, then they’ll need to build up gradually – just 10 minutes, then 15, then 20 – with lots of water and lots of breaks. It can be done though! Start out nice and slow and there’s no reason you can’t train then. Just make sure you stay hydrated and keep the sun off your face.
OFC runs outdoor bootcamps (at a lower intensity than usual) throughout the summer, in the evenings and early mornings. For more information, visit www.originalfitnessco.com or call on 02 406 9404 to book a place.
