FitView By Efren Martinez Beat The Heat
Happy July fitness friends!
As we all know this can be one of the hottest months of the year in our central valley. Please be mindful of that before getting your outdoor workouts on for these next 2 months. One of the best ways to combat this is to swim. Regardless of how hot or even what time of the day it is, most likely the cool water will keep your body temperature comfortable on a hot day. Although swimming might not be for everyone, you can always settle for the comforts of any one of our coolest gyms in your area. Most of my friends including myself prefer to train outside. If so, make sure you get it in at the crack of dawn, especially if you’re a runner. I prefer running in temperatures that range between 55 and 65 degrees. When we run our bodies tend to work the hardest and your heart rate can be easily elevated which in turn heats us up. This can cause cramps, nausea and put you in the hurt locker very quickly. Cycling, on the other hand can be done comfortably even in the mid 90’s. When we cycle at speeds of 15mph and up we have the wind to cool us down because of our riding pace. Between that and the cool water we have in our waterbottles it helps us go the extra distance on a warm day. All to often, many of us including those hardcore athletes forget to add on some extra thought to our rides and training during the summer. For most athletes just staying well hydrated throughout the week along with making sure you’re eating enough smart carbohydrates is sufficient to sustain your outdoor fitness safely. For those endurance athletes that spend hours training instead of minutes in the heat, I recommend balancing your water consumption with minerals. Make sure your water consumption is equal with the right amounts of electrolytes and minerals, including some overlooked ones like magnesium and potassium. Have a bottle of NUUN or Gu Brew for every two water bottles you drink and use sea salt and liquid aminos on your foods.
Lets keep our fitness strong, happy and healthy during these hot days of summer. Applying just a few of these recommendations should help us get the most out of our summer workouts and stay safe.
Summer Fitness Tips & Recommendations. Wearing a polar ice scarf helps keep your body cool. Keeping your tires between 110 & 115psi works well when cycling in the heat. Sun block is always a recommended regardless of what fitness you enjoy. For early morning & sunset runs, apply mosquito repellent. If your bike helmet makes any kind of contact with the road after a crash or fall, replace it. Most helmets are one incident helmets. Charity run of the month-Escalon Park Fetein Escalon. www.shadowchase.org
