One of the greatest benefits to the beautiful summer weather is that you can spend more time outdoors. Forget spending hours coped up in a gym, longing to enjoy the gorgeous sunny day and light breeze. You can incorporate outdoor exercise into your normal fitness routine to still get that physical activity you need and spend time in nature. And as always, it’s important to stretch before and after a workout to help your muscles recover and prevent future injuries.
Hydration and Workout Tips for Outdoor Exercise
Tip #1: Always Bring a Water Bottle with You
Carrying a reusable water bottle with you throughout the day is an excellent physical reminder that, well, you need to drink water to avoid dehydration. If you had trouble reminding yourself to take sips throughout the day, you may also consider setting regular timers on your phone to prompt you.
Tip #2: Make Sure to Drink Water Before, During, and After Exercise
The most important workout tip you can follow in the summer to avoid dehydration is clearly to consume water. But, chugging one glass of water with your breakfast isn’t going to keep your body nourished and hydrated all day. People often drink large quantities of water quickly immediately following physical activity. This is due to your body losing all that fluid from sweating.
At this point, you may already be experiencing mild or moderate symptoms of dehydration. In fact, an estimated 75% of people are dehydrated every day. We often don’t recognize the signs until dehydration has become more severe.
To avoid even the most mild symptoms, you should be drinking water throughout the day. Make a conscious effort to drink plenty of water before you start an exercise, preparing your body for the fluids it will lose.
Tip #3: Consider the Time of Day
An invaluable exercise tip: Think about the weather and temperature at the time of day you plan to exercise. One of the greatest risks of outdoor exercise in the summer is greater chance of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. When the weather is warmer, our body’s internal temperature begins to rise. This can be very dangerous, especially if it turns into a heat stroke, which means your body can no longer control its temperature.
It’s best to avoid any chance of this happening by:
Not exercising outdoors on days when the temperature is hotter than normal
Avoid exercising in the middle of the day. This is also typically the hottest part of the day.
Try to plan your workouts for early morning or late afternoon/evening when the sun is less strong.
Workout in a place that has an easily accessible shady area. Or, workout solely in shaded places.
Bring lots of water with you to help your body cool down throughout your workout.
Tip #4: Protect Your Skin from the Sun
You may not realize that sunburn and dehydration are connected. A severe sunburn can cause you to become dehydrated because it brings fluid to the surface of your skin, removing it from your body. Avoid the painful burn and the risk of dehydration by always wearing sunscreen before an outdoor workout — and don’t forget to drink your water!
Enjoying some physical activity outdoors is an excellent perk of summer. It often makes us feel closer to nature and elevates our mood. But, it’s important to follow our workout tips to avoid dehydration, which can unfortunately lead to other issues. The biggest takeaway is to drink water all day long and avoid overheating your body from extended sun exposure.
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