8 Ways to Keep Beating the Heat in Your Workouts

by Ashley Rummel

It may be fall term and the fall season is technically around the corner, but we all know it will keep feeling like summer outside. But it doesn’t mean your workout has to hit the backburner. Below are eight tips from a Texas native to stay cool, and safe, while working out when it still feels like summer out there.

Hydrate

You’ve heard it before, but seriously, hydration is key. According to the National Institutes of Health, every hour you sweat out around three to four liters of water and this number rises in warm weather. But before you grab your water bottle and start chugging, follow these tips to make hydrating easier.

1. Eat fruits and vegetables with high amounts of water content. Some summer favorites include watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, oranges, zucchini, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, and yogurt! Water intake doesn’t just come from what you drink, and eating water-dense foods can even provide you with the electrolytes you lose in sweat.
2. Start drinking water two-three hours before you exercise. The American Council on Exercise suggests drinking 17–20 ounces of water two to three hours before your workout, eight ounces of water 20–30 minutes before your workout, and 7–10 ounces every 10–20 minutes of exercise. And 30 minutes after your workout, drink an additional eight ounces of fluids.
3. Check out University Health Services' guidance on hydration.

Gear Up

Believe it or not, your clothing choice can have a big impact on how hot you get during a workout. Certain fabrics allow sweat to evaporate easier, and different colors can reflect the sun to keep you cooler.

• Select a sweat-wicking fabric like nylon or polyester. Most labels will state whether the material is moisture-wicking.
• Wear something lightweight and loose. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are running in a wool coat when it’s 100 degrees outside! Loose, lightweight clothing allows sweat to properly evaporate from your skin as the wind can sweep it off.
• Choose light colors. Dark colors absorb more of the sun’s rays and will heat up faster, while light colors will reflect the sun’s energy.
• Opt for sunglasses or a hat. Shading your face will help keep the sun’s heat off your scalp and out of your eyes, making you feel cooler.
• Chafing? Some seams and shorts can be irritating to the skin, especially as you add heat and friction. If you are consistently chafing while working out, try switching to a different short length or using a chafe-proof stick (similar to deodorant!).

Lather Up

Our skin is the biggest organ in our body and helps regulate our body temperature. As the body heats up, blood vessels near the skin dilate, allowing more blood to circulate near the surface. This circulation produces sweat, which carries our heat with it as it evaporates, leaving us feeling cooler than before. So how can we help it out? Sunscreen! Protecting our skin from the UV damage of the sun can help it do its job (and prevent a painful sunburn).

For more tips, check out the Longhorn Wellness Center’s Longhorns Under the Sun page.

Change Up Your Routine

A hot summer day might be just the thing that forces you to change up your routine. Take the shadier trail you’ve always thought about exploring. Work out in the morning instead of waiting until the afternoon. Jump in the pool at Gregory instead of lacing up your tennis shoes. The options are endless, so here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Try a new exercise route. Try a path with a little more shade or one that stays closer to home in case you need a blast of air conditioning.
• Try a different time of day. Mornings and late evenings before the sun is up and after the sun goes down are the best times to work out in the summer. Afternoons are the hottest with 3pm being the hottest time of the day. If you are going to work out around this time, it might be wise to hit a RecSports indoor facility or opt for a swimming session at the Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex.
• Try something new. Mix up your routine with an indoor workout, and if you need a little motivation from a group, explore the various TeXercise classes RecSports offers (UT students can try up to five free classes each term if you don’t already have a TeXercise pass!)

Listen To Your Body

Your body has multiple systems in place to indicate how it is doing. If you’re suddenly feeling sick during a run, it is probably best to slow down. If you’re starting to feel faint during a strength training session, take a water break. You might find that you aren’t able to run as far as you could when the weather was nicer. That’s okay! Take more water breaks, choose a lower-intensity workout, and give your body time to acclimate to the changing season.

Is it better to take a five-minute water break, cut your run a mile short, or do one less rep and be able to get back at it tomorrow, than finish the workout but end up benched for a week because you pushed too hard?

Know your body. Listen to it. It is your best gauge for knowing your limits.

About the Author
Ashley Rummel is currently an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition Sciences. Ashley contributed this content as part of her Texas LEAD summer internship in the RecSports Fitness + Wellness area.