How to exercise in hot weather without suffering heat sickness or heat illness.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Drink 16 oz. of water an hour before your walk.
- Schedule your walking time to the coolest portions of the day so you miss the hot weather.
- Avoid direct sunlight, find the shadiest walking route to stay out of the heat.
- Wear sunblock, applying it 30 minutes before your walk.
- Wear loose, high-tech, cooling fabrics (such as CoolMax) of skin-covering opaque clothing.
- Wear a hat to shade the top of the head.
- Put some ice into your water bottle along with the water.
- Do shorter workouts on the hottest days, save your long workouts for more moderate heat.
- Reduce your speed, slow down
- Drink 200 ml (8 oz or one cup) of water every 15 minutes while walking.
- If walking more than an hour and sweating profusely, use a sports drink to replenish salts.
- Put a little ice under your hat or into your sports bra if you have the chance during your walk.
- If you become dizzy, nauseated, have dry skin or the chills, STOP and try to get a drink.
- If you do not feel better, get medical help immediately.
- Drink 16-32 oz. of water after your walk to keep well-hydrated for the next walk.
Tips:
- Your heart rate will go up naturally 1 bpm per degree above 77F, so while you may not be going faster, your body is working harder.
- Acclimate yourself to heat/humidity over 7-14 days.
- If you have heart or respiratory problems or have had heat stroke previously, ask your health care provider about walking in the heat.
What You Need:
- Hat
- Sunblock
- Wicking clothing
- Water
- Electrolyte sports drink
