The summer season is one of the hardest times of the year to exercise. If you aren’t accustomed to exercising when it’s hot, it is very easy to get disheartened and stop exercising. Let us look at some measures that you can to take to ensure that your fitness schedule doesn’t veer off course even when the temperature rises.
Sufficient hydration is the most important factor to exercising successfully in during the summer season. Your body loses much more water than you would normally through sweating and you must keep the supply of water to it constant. But simply drinking more water won’t cut it. You need to make sure that the levels of sodium and potassium in your body remain high to allow you to perform strenuous activates such as exercise. You can add sports drinks to your routine to make sure that your body gets enough of these nutrients. A lot of these drinks also contain BCAAs (Branched Chained Amino Acids) but make sure you go with a brand that has a low sugar count. Alternatively, you can consume a meal with a moderate amount of salts prior to exercising.
To avoid your body temperatures getting too high while you exercise, you can change your workout strategies slightly. If you usually exercise or go for a jog in the morning, you might consider switching these to the evening. It will be much cooler and you won’t fatigue yourself unnecessarily. If you live in a place where the weather is hot throughout the day, you might want to get your walking done indoors, on a treadmill.
If you are performing your exercise in a gym that has adequate cooling, the temperature shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Make sure you don’t skip on hydration just because you are exercising indoors. If you are a person who doesn’t have a gym membership and just goes for a jog in the morning, you might consider joining a local gym for a couple of months till the mercury levels drop. If you are performing your exercises in your garage or basement, make sure you have enough ventilation and cooling so that you don’t lose too much water. Take longer rest periods between exercises than you normally would since your body needs the extra time to recover.
Exercising during the summer is not easy, but the benefits of soldiering through the tough periods are many. Summer is usually the time when you will be going to the beach often, so having a fit body has its advantages. Remember to exercise safely and provide your body with the adequate nutrition so that you can stick to your exercise plan. If you find yourself falling short of energy often, add sports drinks or supplements to your diet to give your body some additional fuel. Remember, staying fit isn’t a temporary change, it is a lifestyle.