It’s so hot here at the moment I had to pause my Yogaglo class yesterday just so I could dig out a lightweight long sleeved running top to hold Kathryn Budigs Big Daddy Visvamitrasana. The shelf/support arm I was meant to create with my triceps wasn’t happening. Whoever said girls don’t sweat they glow hasn’t met me. I foresee that top and my yoga towel are going to be yoga mainstays this summer!
Aj thinks yoga mats were made for cats to keep cool.
I was going to do a post on training outdoors in the warmer months as I’ve noticed more people training in the park recently. To be honest it’s not much different from my hot weather running post last year. The only extra considerations are definitely training before or after the main heat of the sun, train in the shade, have plenty of water on hand, know where the nearest water fountain is or shop to purchase more, change for water, wear suncream, have a towel available, know where the nearest public toilet or convenient bush is. Another important factor is fuel. Have something light before if that’s what you normally do and make sure you have post workout snacks on hand. Coconut water is a great post workout drink replacing electrolytes lost sweating (it’s high in potassium and magnesium, 2 major electrolytes). In the warmer months we tend to eat less, but we still need to keep energy levels up! Our bodies are working overtime. Keeping cool from the heat until more acclimatised and keeping cool from working out. Wear a hat and a sunglasses if that’s your thing. Baseball caps were invented to help shield eyes from the sun!
If you train at home, without air con avoid the main heat of the day. If you train in an ice cold gym, just be aware of hydration afterwards when you go back into the heat from the icy comfort. My gym’s air con is hardly on. Maybe it’s 5C less than outside, but I’m prefer it to Arctic air con. I can sweat better (be aware of the floor! Not everybody cleans up their sweat). My workout today felt a little tougher thanks to the heat. I still did the planned circuit just at slower pace, so bear in mind some sports will be easier (yoga, any stretching, running in the evening when muscles are really warm and the air’s cooler) and some will be a little more taxing than usual (some cardio, jumping, weights) until our bodies acclimatise to the new temps. Our bodies are wonderful machines that will let us know when it’s had enough with the heat, so listen to your body! AJ and D (cats) have almost resigned to the fact after 9am till about 7pm, they just going seek out cool spots, give Mama ‘it’s hot, sort it out looks’. When it’s cooler in the early mornings and late evenings, they eat more, play more, catch up on the days grooming and are more social. Days when it’s red hot, they sport mohawks much to their disgust. I cool them off with a little water on their heads, ears, paws and tummy. They looks so cute! I’m almost sure they secretly appreciate it, but will never admit to it.
D finally checked out their summer teepee! He still prefers his red play cubes to flop in.
How do you beat the heat training the warmer months? What’s your favourite trick?