Exercising This Summer? Take Care

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

29 Jun 2006 08:10 PM

Summer time means hot, long days and lots of time outdoors, having fun with the family, working out, biking, swimming and more! When you are looking for more family activities to do together, exercise is very likely to come to the top of the list especially with all the worries about childhood obesity and more. So keep in mind the following tips to take care of your family and yourself while working out and enjoying yourselves this summer:

• Hydration - Stay hydrated! You need to drink adequate fluid before, during and after your time spent exercising. You need it to help prevent overheating. If you don't keep your hydration levels up, you can actually suffer from fatigue and poor performance risking injury and healthy
• Low-intensity exercise is a good place to start - When you're getting started, start out at a low-intensity - power workouts need to be worked up to and low-intensity gets you where you need to go - so enjoy look into cardiovascular, strength and flexibility workouts to maximize your overall training
• You need the right gear - the right gear, including the right footwear is ideal to protect your feet, your knees and your legs - it's important to swap out your shoes every 400 to 500 miles specifically if you are walking or running
• Muscle Care means all your muscles - you need to work out all of your muscles, including those in opposition - in other words if you work out your quadriceps (thighs), you also need to work out your hamstrings (the backs of your legs) so that one side does not over balance the other
• Sleep - Longer days can actually disrupt sleep patterns as people (read: kids) don't want to go to sleep before the sun goes down - but you still need adequate sleep to help your body achieve its full potential

What other tips can you think to make summer workouts better and easier for you and your family?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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