Sport Despite Heat: Tips for Exercise on Hot Days

Regular exercise sessions are good. Sport not only reduces excess weight, but also reduces stress, strengthens the cardiovascular system and makes you happy. An all-inclusive package for health, in other words. Caution: this does not apply to sports under the blazing sun. Sports activities under the hot summer sun can even become unhealthy. Those who do not want to give up sports sessions despite summer temperatures must exercise caution.

Exercise despite summer heat?

Heat is an elastic term. What one person perceives as blistering heat still seems pleasant to another. Temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius are perceived as most pleasant for sports sessions on average. Heavy sweaters and movement-restricting jackets can be left at home at these temperatures. Sports feel more exhilarating and easier. However, if it gets hot, exercise becomes more difficult. But the further temperatures rise above the 20-degree line, the more debilitating they feel. The reason: a human organism has enough to do at extremely low as well as extremely high temperatures to maintain its constant body temperature. Heat-producing metabolic processes are shut down. The vessels dilate so that excess heat can be dissipated via the blood. The most important reaction: the sweat glands are stimulated to secrete and thus provide the necessary cooling via evaporation processes. Maintaining a constant body temperature is essential for human life. The body temperature of the human being enables the smooth running of individual body processes, such as the neuromuscular system and hemodynamics. Since muscle activity produces heat, exercise in hot temperatures should be done in moderation. Those who do not adhere to this risk hyperthermia in the form of heat stroke. As a consequence, the cardiovascular system is disturbed. The body can no longer sufficiently break down the excessive heat, so hypovolemic shock with cerebral edema can occur.

Too hot to move – when sports become dangerous

Due to phenomena such as heat stroke and sunstroke, experts advise against excessive sporting efforts from outside temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius. Sporting strenuous activity in the intensive range already from these temperatures often does not lead to sunstroke, circulatory symptoms, heat stroke or dehydration. Caution: it is not only the heat that matters, but also the humidity. Humidity levels above 80 percent and ozone levels above 180 micrograms/cubic meter make intensive sports a health hazard. Those who can’t or don’t want to do without training sessions must at least reduce the load. Instead of intensive loads, evenly light loads such as cycling or swimming are indicated. Swimming in particular, with sufficient sun protection and enough to drink, is a suitable sports program even in hot temperatures. The beauty of it is that the fresh air and warm weather can be enjoyed to the full during an effective full-body workout. Short workouts are preferable to long workouts in the heat. Those who wish to cycle or jog ideally do so exclusively in the cool evening or morning hours. The midday sun is to be strictly avoided because of its ozone pollution.

Stick to training despite the heat – this is how it works

Moderate exercise in the heat also has positive aspects. Exercising with regularity can even protect against heat in many ways, as Bild reports. Trained bodies are more adaptable when it comes to hot climates. They lose fewer electrolytes when they sweat. That’s why it doesn’t make much sense to cut exercise out of the program altogether for the summer. Lack of exercise tires the body, shuts down the cardiovascular system and makes the organism more unstable. This means that sport makes perfect sense despite the heat: as long as the training is adapted to the temperatures. In addition to swimming sessions or sports units in the morning and evening hours, it can make sense to shift training to the gym or elsewhere indoors for the summer. While it’s hard to enjoy the nice weather behind closed doors, competitive athletes in particular rely on regular intensive sessions. Doing these intensive sessions outside in the summer would be too risky. For long or intense workouts, therefore, move indoors if necessary.

Tips for sports in summer heat

In the heat, no intensive units in the outdoor area, ideally only light loads with uniformity and think of sufficient regeneration phases. In addition to these tips, adequate hydration and thoughtful sun protection are the main ways to help protect your health from the heat during sports.

Make sure you drink enough fluids

Fluid helps maintain circulation. Therefore, on hot days, always take in two to three liters of water. For every half hour of exercise, serve half a liter, but do not drink directly before the training session. It is better to spread the total amount over the entire day. Pay attention to high mineral content of the liquid and for long training sessions resort to isotonic drinks, as they can balance the electrolyte balance of the body.

Protect well from the sun

Especially for outdoor sports sessions, be sure to use sunscreen. Both for swimming, as well as the jogging trip through the forest the sunscreen with sufficient sun protection factor not forgotten to prevent sunburn. Caution: Shade is no guarantee for skin protection, so apply sunscreen even when staying in shady areas. On the head during sports sessions in the blazing sun, always wear a head covering to be safe from sunstrokes. Also, paint black clothes because they heat up in the sun. In addition, the clothing should allow air circulation so that the body can sweat and cool sufficiently. Therefore, choose sportswear made of breathable synthetic fibers, so that the cooling is further improved by the dissipative qualities.

Conclusion: children and the elderly: sports in moderation.

Sport despite heat is to be managed and can even be useful. If you design your workout to suit the temperature, listen to your body and are not stingy with sunscreen and hydration, you won’t put yourself in danger. However, sports in the heat are not recommended for certain groups of people. In addition to cardiovascular patients, children and seniors should avoid sports in hot temperatures because their sweat glands work less efficiently and overheating is thus even more likely. Those who are unsure should ideally consult their family doctor.