Fitness Tips: How to Use the Heat to Your Advantage

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

21 Aug 2006 05:30 AM

With temperatures soaring as high as 109 degrees here, the heat is one of the first things on my mind in the morning and the last before I go to bed. Let me preface the following thoughts with the following cautions. Exercising in the heat can be dangerous. If your body temperature exceeds 107 degrees, you can cause irreversible brain and internal organ damage. Even if your body temperature does not rise to such an excessive degree, you can experience heat exhaustion, so never exercise in the middle of the day outdoors.

As I write this, it is 5 a.m. in the morning and it is 87 degrees outside. A fine sheen of sweat coats the skin as you step out into the humid, warmth. Even without the sunshine, it's like being blanketed in a stuffy covering. The heat is useful for low-impact cardio workouts in the sense that you will sweat more, burn fat faster and more easily and you will reach a higher core temperature with a lower impact exercise.

If you're extremely overweight, have a health condition or haven't exercised in a while - I recommend seeing a doctor prior to beginning your workout program. It's key to remember that you should also reduce your indoor pace to build up a tolerance to the heat outside. For example, if you can walk three miles easily on a treadmill, reduce your workout outdoors to a mile to a mile and a half at the extreme.

If you become short of breath, dizzy or otherwise out of sorts - take a break immediately. Be sure to fully hydrate prior to beginning your walk, jog or bicycle ride. Drink plenty of water during your workout. Expect to sweat profusely and take plenty of time to cool down after the workout when you return, do not just stop.

Again, I wouldn't advise this form of exercise - it's very hard on the body and the rewards may not be worth it unless you are an athlete who is training for an outdoor event. You'll need to combine indoor and outdoor training in order to build up your body's endurance and tolerance.

Have you noticed a difference between an indoor and outdoor workout?

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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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