The heat has arrived
After a prolonged winter and some moderate days, the heat season has begun. It’s the best time to go out to stroll and exercise outdoors, but we also have to be careful.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 600 people die each year due to the excessive heat; and although this figure is only one third of the deaths caused by cold, there is a lot that we can do to reduce them.
For many people it’s particularly luring to go out to exercise when it’s very hot, given that they sweat more and that makes them think that they exercise more, and it’s true that more water is lost, but the body recovers it when we drink.
It’s a mistake to think that more fat is burned when exercising in the sun, what is true is that in general more fat is burned when exercising in the cold thanks to thermogenesis (production of heat), and this burns more calories than the sweating itself.
Walking, playing, exercising under the sun is okay, since this also has its benefits, but we must take care of ourselves and warn others that train or work in plain sunlight, since they sometimes think that thanks to being “used to it” or “in good shape” nothing will happen to them.
The first red flags are: headaches, fatigue, cramps, puking, nausea and dizziness or fainting.
The things that we have to do to protect ourselves from the excessive heat start with “using common sense”: avoiding extended exposure to the sun, drinking loads of liquids (even if we’re not thirsty), avoiding sudden changes in temperature, not eating excessively, protecting the skin with adequate clothing and sun block.
Take care of yourself, enjoy the hot days and take advantage also of indoor activities such as swimming, bowling and volleyball.
