It is summer people, and not to state the obvious but it has been HOT. With sudden rises in temps, it can leave us feeling a certain type of way, I don’t typically like to toss around the “L” word so casually, but let’s face it this heat has most of us feeling… ~lazy~
Personally, on a day like today when I am writing this, where the temp reads 90 degrees and the humidity is high, I feel like a blob of life. Barely trudging through the world carrying an extra 50 pounds of imaginary rocks, with little motivation to do much besides sit in front of a fan and chug ice water.
While these dog days of summer are perfect for lounging on the beach or by the pool, sipping ice cold drinks, having ice cream as a meal because it’s just too hot to cook, and enjoying the summer swell, it doesn’t bode too well for our exercise regimens.
But fear not! There are some quick tips that can keep us cool and moving efficiently no matter how high that thermostat gets.
- Electrolytes are KING (and QUEEN). Now if you have ever thought about hydration, traditionally you may have just thought “oh, easy. Just drink as much water as possible every day.” Or the age old adage of “drink half your body weight in pounds, as ounces of water”. NOW, while these aren’t necessarily untrue, we are leaving out our good old friends the electrolytes. Most specifically the ever important Sodium aka Salt. Now to keep it simple, when we sweat we lose sodium which causes our body to easily dehydrate. If we replace that sweat with plain old water, we actually dilute the amount of sodium in our body even further, thus causing us to dehydrate more (confusing right?). Well luckily all it takes is a simple electrolyte tablet, powder, or even good old fashioned sea salt shaker and we are back in business. Especially before and after your workout, it is so important to be consuming those electrolytes. Ask you coaches for their favorite hydration recommendations!
- Modifications are KEY to having better workouts if you find your body having a hard time acclimating to the heat. When it’s hot and energy is low, (especially coupled with dehydration) we might not be able to perform the way we typically would in the gym. Because of that, we have to meet ourselves where we are and be okay with it. Honestly, it is probably an accomplishment to just be walking in the door if you are feeling this way, so your workout is going to be great no matter what you do- because the only bad workout is the one that we didn’t do right? You’d be surprised at how quickly your body WILL adapt if you are patient with it, moving as well as you can based on how you feel is going to get you there the fastest. Ask your coach how to modify your workout if you are having a hard time beating the heat!
- Recovery is CRUCIAL, now so more than ever! We have to prioritize all of the things we typically would post-workout, and make it a priority all day to focus on what your body needs. As a reminder these things include; sleeping 7+ hours minimum, consuming the right amount of protein for your body and goals, properly warming up and cooling down from workouts, hydration (as mentioned above), and always listening to your body. Ask your coach how you can recover better!
There we have it! 3 quick, simple, easy ways to fight back against the heat and crush your summer workouts! No excuses, let’s keep getting after it. #StrongerTogether