Exercising itself is making us feeling rather hot and when the weather is hot as well, we might be not thus willing to get into an intense workout. Yet, in many cases it is not impossible to skip a workout just because we do not like the weather as it will mess our regular exercising plan up. In addition to it, the heat can last for days and there is certainly no point in waiting when it is over in order to start your exercises again.
It turns out that under particular conditions, exercising in hot weather can be even more effective than having a workout in a room filled with fresh air. Still, the higher the temperature is getting, the more careful you should be. Here, you will find more information on exercising in hot weather.
What is actually happening to your body while you are exercising in hot weather?
Our bodies are equipped into a mechanism of temperature regulation which helps us to keep the appropriate temperature of the entire body even if the surrounding temperature is rather hot. In order to do it, our bodies are increasing the blood circulation so that there is an increased amount of blood coming to the skin layer. This helps our bodies to produce more sweat. When sweat is evaporating from the surface of our skin, it make the temperature of our skin and blood decrease. As a result, the temperature of the entire body is decreasing.
As you can imagine, since there is increased blood circulation, the heart is also working more actively.
A hot temperature surrounding you during a workout can cause several unpleasant conditions.
The first one which is the mildest of them is experiencing muscle spasms caused by an increased temperature. They can be rather painful and take place in the large muscle groups.
The next stage is exhaustion caused by a high temperature. Exhaustion of this type can be accompanied by a fever as well as nausea, migraine and excessive sweating. At the same time you will feel your skin becomes cold. This is the time when you should immediately address the condition otherwise it soon develop into heat illness which can be lethal. This last condition is also featured by rather intense fever. Still, the condition becomes so severe that it can cause brain damages and failure in the work of other organs. As a result, a person can die. As you can imagine, in such a situation a person needs immediate medical intervention.
Getting overheated is even easier for people who do not drink enough during workouts. This can lead to dehydration which will add more unpleasant symptoms to your exercising session including intense headache. At the same time, you should be aware of the fact excessive drinking is also unhealthy as it will make you lose electrolytes with water. It is especially crucial not to lose sodium which will also cause muscle spasms, joint swelling and whole range of other unpleasant sensations. The level of sodium in the blood less than 135 milligram per decilitre can even cause swelling of lungs and brain.
What can you do in order to avoid these problems?
First of all, you should be aware of the fact, the temperature is not the only thing which should be taken into consideration when it comes to the weather suitable for exercising. The humidity is also crucial. It is a proven fact that high humidity makes it more difficult for people to overcome high temperature. The reason for it is the fact the body does not feel the evaporation of the sweat from the surface of the body which actually makes us feel fresher. As a result, the body has to produce even more sweat which can cause all of the problems mentioned above even more easily.
If you look at the temperature, the highest temperature which can be tolerated by our bodies during exercising is between 27–32 °С. Higher temperature can cause fatigue and lead to heat illness whereas the temperature exceeding 51 °С in all likelihood will cause heat illness.
Certainly, if you are going to exercise outside in hot weather, it should be done in a shadow.
Undeniably, another important thing to keep in mind is avoiding the time of the day when the temperature is particularly high. The best time for exercising outside in hot weather is before afternoon and after 4 – 5 pm.
The health conditions increasing the probability of developing heat illness during a workout
Some of the health conditions can make you more prone to suffering from hot weather. First of all, there is an entire range of illnesses including cardio-vascular diseases, the dysfunction of sweat glands, gastroenteritis, already having a fever or having diabetes. On top of that, people who have already experienced heat fatigue or heat illness, are also more prone to repeating this condition.
Children and the elderly also have a tendency to developing such problems. The same goes for people with excessive weight or just for those who have not got a chance to have a proper rest before a workout.