Listen to your body

It’s wise to lower your expectations for your fitness output when the temperatures soar. If you notice that you become more fatigued in hot weather, it’s for good reason. When your body’s temperature rises during exercise, your blood starts multitasking: it travels closer to your skin to help keep you cool, it moves towards the body parts being exerted, and to your heart to keep it beating well. With less blood to operate each individual function, you may feel extra fatigued.

Pay attention to warning signs

Exercise-related heat exhaustion can occur when your body temperature rises beyond normal, resulting in some body processes functioning less effectively. When experiencing exercise-related heat exhaustion, your body loses the ability to effectively get rid of the excess heat generated by exercise. Certain conditions make this medical condition more likely to occur, such as being dehydrated, being in poor physical shape, having a chronic illness or medical condition, using alcohol or taking certain medications before exercising, being obese, and having an infection.

Also, earlier this summer we posted an article on heat-related illnesses, and the topic is worth revisiting here. It’s important to know the warning signs for heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses. When exercising in the heat, if you begin to feel dizzy, nauseated, disoriented, weakness, or muscle cramping, those are your signs to stop the activity, hydrate, and get to a cooler location. If you experience any of these or other troubling signs when exercising, it’s best to come to the El Mirage Emergency Room so our staff can deduce whether you need urgent medical assistance in El Mirage.

Prepare your skin

While wearing sunscreen may not help keep you cool, it allows your skin to perform its cooling functions at its best. We also recommend you wear UVA/UVB blocking sunglasses, clothing that wicks moisture away from your skin, light-colored clothing that won’t absorb the heat, and a hat with a brim. Also keep in mind that if your exercise requires a helmet or protective padding you should plan to keep your exercising short, as these items can trap heat and lessen your skin’s ability to cool you. Each of these preparations plays a big role in keeping you as cool and healthy as possible when exercising outdoors in Arizona.

Drink up

It’s important to load up on water in the hours before you exercise as well as during your workout. Going into an outdoor exercise session when already dehydrated puts you at a dangerous disadvantage, especially since your body will lose additional fluids. Experiencing dehydration when exercising can lead to fatigue, dizziness, confusion, poor decision-making, stomach upset, and an inability to cool off. Keep hydrated before and while exercising to feel and perform at your best.