4 tips for exercising in the heat: enjoy training despite the warmth

Sport in the heat – how your training can go ahead despite the warmth.

Summer 2019 looks set to match last summer's extremes, with temperatures once again reaching highs of around 40°C. The heat puts a strain on the body, but that doesn't mean you have to give up your usual training despite the warmth. Athletes should keep a few things in mind, though, so the body copes well with exercise in the heat.

Drink enough fluids

After getting up, try to drink around 2 litres of water within the first four to five hours. This makes up for the fluid loss caused by sweating more during the night. If you're planning to exercise in the heat, you should drink half a litre of lukewarm water about half an hour before training despite the warmth. Lukewarm water often feels less refreshing, but the body can actually make better use of it. That way, the body doesn't need to use up energy to warm the water up.

If you're exercising in the heat, take a few sips of water every 20 minutes, since the body can't process more than half a litre of fluid per hour. This keeps your body sufficiently hydrated, so your body's own cooling system can work smoothly without any extra strain. Then nothing stands in the way of your training, despite the warmth.
By the way, if you exercise in the heat, you don't always have to stick to water. Water mixed with apple juice, other juices and isotonic drinks work just as well to make up for fluid loss. Juices and isotonic drinks also have the advantage of replacing the minerals lost through sweating.

Listen to your body

Early warning signs of impending dehydration when training despite the warmth are a dry mouth and a feeling of thirst. If you feel thirsty during training, you should definitely listen to that warning signal from your body. If you carry on training regardless, despite the warmth and a growing feeling of thirst, you may start to notice headaches and the first signs of circulation problems. Similar symptoms occur with sunstroke. If vomiting and an intense feeling of heat, similar to a fever, are added to the mix, you should stop exercising in the heat immediately and find some shade.
If you don't reduce your training despite the warmth and adjust it to the ambient temperature, you risk what's known as exertional heat stroke. Heat stroke occurs when the body can no longer cool itself down. A high temperature heats up the entire organism. To cool itself down, the body produces sweat. If you don't make sure to take in enough fluid while exercising in the heat, the body can't keep up sweat production and overheats. Dizziness, nausea and a rise in body temperature are the result. Heat stroke is always a medical emergency. So, to make sure it never gets that far, you should always exercise in the heat well hydrated.

Working out in a cool gym instead of in the sun

It's not just the high temperatures that put a strain on the body. The organism actually struggles far more with intense sun exposure. That's one reason why you don't need to give up exercising in the heat altogether, but your workout shouldn't take place in direct sun. The risk that exercising in the heat could lead to sunstroke or heat stroke is simply too great. If you don't have the option of moving your training despite the warmth to the early morning or late evening hours, you should do your exercise in the heat in a cool gym instead.
Exercising in the late evening has the disadvantage that the body needs some time to wind down. Sports scientists estimate that this takes around two hours. If you train intensively despite the warmth shortly before going to sleep, you risk a restless night's sleep. Exercising in the heat shortly before bed already puts strain on the body, and the lingering warmth means it can only recover inadequately overnight.

Choose the right sportswear

The right clothing is important if you're going to exercise in the heat. To protect against the sun, make sure you wear something to cover your head. To stop your training from becoming even more sweat-inducing despite the warmth, you should also reach for functional sportswear that wicks sweat away from the body. Thanks to this function, this special clothing has the advantage that sweat can evaporate quickly, and the body is even cooled down despite exercising in the heat.
If you exercise in the heat outdoors rather than in the gym, you should definitely wear something to cover your head. Men who are bald or have very little hair should pay particular attention to this. A head covering absorbs sweat and carries it away from the body, cooling the head just like a functional shirt does.
Ideally, treat your head to a shower now and then. The body releases most of its heat through the head, so cooling your head has an immediate effect in lowering your pulse.

Adjust your intensity

Your training doesn't have to stop despite the warmth, but exercising in the heat should be adjusted. The body is less capable due to the heat. Higher temperatures force the body to use up a lot of energy to avoid overheating. That energy is then missing when you exercise in the heat. On top of that, the loss of electrolytes and fluid puts additional strain on the body. Still, there's no need to give up your usual sport in favour of a less sweat-inducing one. If you exercise regularly, you should keep up your training despite the warmth. Your body is used to regular movement, and weeks without it will put more strain on it than exercising in the heat would.
If you do an endurance sport like running or cycling, your training volume should be adjusted to match the temperatures. Exercising despite the warmth isn't well suited to improving your personal best. The heat puts a heavy strain on the cardiovascular system, and intense training despite the warmth takes its toll on the body. If you have a pre-existing condition, you should check with your doctor whether you can continue your training despite the warmth or should scale it back instead.
It's not a good idea to start a new sport in the heat that puts heavy strain on the cardiovascular system. Beginners who aren't used to the demands of a particular endurance sport could be put under even more strain by exercising in the heat.