If you exercise outdoors during the summer or would like to start, please read this article to ensure you are taking the right steps to take care of your body when the temperatures rise.
Here are a few heat-related health issues to look out for if the right precautions arent taken during your exercise:
Exertional Heat Stroke. This is a life-threatening emergency condition. Heat stroke occurs when your body temperature is greater than 104 F. Some common symptoms may include: disorientation, dizziness, irrational behavior, headache, nausea, vomiting, and wet skin.
Exertional Heat Exhaustion. This is a condition when body temperature rises as high as 104 F and you may experience low blood pressure, elevated heart rate and respiratory rates, skin is wet and pale, headache, weakness, dizziness, decreased muscle coordination, chills, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Heat Syncope. Feeling faint or actually fainting caused by high temperatures. This type of heat related illness usually occurs after standing for a long period of time or standing quickly after sitting for a long period of time. Typically symptoms include: heart rate and breathing rates are slow, skin is pale, and patient may experience sensations of weakness, tunnel vision, vertigo or nausea before syncope (faint).
Exertional Heat Cramps. These are painful muscle contractions and they begin as weak, localized, wandering spasms that may progress to debilitating cramps. Your body temperature may be normal while experiencing these.
Fluid replacement is essential while exercising outdoors. It is important to drink water before, during and after exercise. Since individuals have varying sweat rates, the guidelines set by the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that it is important to measure your body weight before and after exercise to gauge fluid loss. If there is a decrease in weight, the active individual should drink at least 16 ounces of fluid for each pound of body weight lost.
-- Individuals will achieve their target heart rate quicker even exercising at a lower intensity in the heart, so slow down, and take breaks between exercise periods.
-- Elderly, pregnant women, and children should be even more careful while playing or exercising in the heat due to a higher risk for dehydration.
-- Perform exercise at times of the day when conditions will be cooler compared to midday (early morning, later evening).
-- Wear lightweight, loose fitting clothing that allows sweat to evaporate.
-- Enable access to plenty of fluid, provide longer and/or more frequent rest breaks.
-- Get acclimated to the weather, take it easy when you first start exercising and wait until your body adjusts of the course of one to two weeks.
Pay attention to the warning signs and remember the key to success in the heat and humidity is to monitor the environment and modify activity in extreme environments.
Shannon Nelson is a Wellness Coach at UnityPoint Health - Trinity.
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Start the Week Off Right: Exercise safely in the summer heat - Quad City Times
