PSA: Warm Weather

Theoldguy1
Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,454 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There are often comments on here that someone can't do anything outside because it's "too hot". We are still in Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. If one starts moving around outside now the likelihood is good that in a month so when it starts getting "hot" you will have some acclimation to the heat and it won't be an issue.

Enjoy Summer.

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
    Acclimatization is key! As is bringing water along. I started running in the Middle East in March, and by July it was 49C at daytime, and still around 41C after sunset, which is when I ran. Start slow, bring plenty of water, don't push yourself too hard and you'll be fine.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    I'm on it. 😎
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited June 2021
    Yeah, acclimation is very real. It won't make you love the heat, and there are limits, but it is worth it. Truthfully I do this acclimation process every year - with my dogs, because if I don't and I still try to do their activities they will die. So I acclimate at the same time. Still not going running at noon in July, but shady morning or evening hike or run? Sure.

    That said I'm not very young, very old, or having health issues - and I live in a fairly temperate are. Above 90 the only exercise I am doing is in water.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,966 Member
    I can see this with on-water rowing. I'm doing it, don't care how hot or humid it gets, although I tend to physically handle heat poorly. Adaptation works better when the hot season comes on slowly, which didn't happen this year. Fortunately (?), I'm not running a structured training program, so can back off intensity on hotter days, so more moderate steady state, save intervals or other faster/harder stuff for the cooler days.

    I also have a repertoire of heat-beating tricks (some of which won't work for runners). I wear a cloth cap with a brim; I can pour water in that and get the fabric wet, for better evaporative cooling. There have been days when I put a 2nd water bottle in the boat to pour on my clothing for the same reason. On cleaner bodies of water, I'd dip my hat in the water to re-wet, or splash water on my shirt. (We take brief breaks during the row to drink water, so there's time to do this kind of stuff.) Another thing that helps is putting a hand down into the water, submerging the wrist where the blood vessels are near the surface: The water's always colder than the air, and a little body cooling happens surprisingly quickly.

    Those cooling bandana things work fairly well, too. The kind with gel in them can be kept in the refrigerator at home, in water, so they start out cool as well as wet.
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    My strategy is to just get up earlier for intense exercise or any other outdoor work. I think my internal clock is pretty in tune with the sun anyway - I find it much easier to get up at 5am in June than at 5am in December. :tongue:

    Same - I wake up at 5.30 and do my outdoor exercise/yard work/gardening at 6 am. But I've had skin cancer so it's not just the heat but the sun I have to avoid.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    wunderkindking wrote: »
    Yeah, acclimation is very real. It won't make you love the heat, and there are limits, but it is worth it. Truthfully I do this acclimation process every year - with my dogs, because if I don't and I still try to do their activities they will die. So I acclimate at the same time. Still not going running at noon in July, but shady morning or evening hike or run? Sure.

    That said I'm not very young, very old, or having health issues - and I live in a fairly temperate are. Above 90 the only exercise I am doing is in water.

    During the summer in south Florida, my husky and I walked in the AM before sunrise and at night after sunset and we never acclimated.

    (He was a rescue dog - I never would have chosen a "snow dog" for south Florida. And by "rescue" I mean my ex found him wandering the streets of Atlanta about the same time as animal control who said they would bring him to a shelter where he might end up euthanized to which my ex replied, "Oh no you're not.")
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    There’s definitely something to this—summer came crashing in on us this weekend, with all its sunny mid to high 90s temps, 90-99% humidity, and lack of any breath of a breeze glory. Just in time for a 5 hour soccer tournament. My kids and I are out every day for hours (I walk mornings/evenings, they are being kids outside), but it still threw us for a loop going from mid 80s low humidity to Lucifer’s steam room overnight.

    The 9yo’s playing were okay, we were just uncomfortable (though I was a bit dizzy and off feeling the rest of the day, despite hydration), but my friend’s elderly mother came out for about 30 minutes and was not okay. She sat under a tent and drank fluids the whole time, but was nauseated, dizzy, and lost 2lbs. After 30 min of (shaded) heat advisory heat.

    So...definitely acclimatize when possible but remember your limits if Mother Nature decides she’s not going to let things build up slowly.
  • lmf1012
    lmf1012 Posts: 402 Member
    It sure did seem to heat up overnight! Saturday I walked at 10am, Sunday at 7am and this morning at 6am. The humidity has been awful in the morning but it is far better than the hot sun. It hit 99 here yesterday, that was brutal just doing the grocery shopping!
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,494 Member
    We didn't really get a chance to acclimate this year. Two weeks ago we were in the 80s. This weekend we were flirting with triple digits. :disappointed:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    It is helpful to acclimate, but there are limits. While technically still Spring, in ABQ we were at or over 100F all of last week and this past weekend. 95F is pretty much my limit for doing much outdoors that doesn't involve water. This time of year I'm up and out early to ride or I'm in the pool or on the river kayaking or up in the mountains where it can easily be 10-20* cooler.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    wunderkindking wrote: »
    Yeah, acclimation is very real. It won't make you love the heat, and there are limits, but it is worth it. Truthfully I do this acclimation process every year - with my dogs, because if I don't and I still try to do their activities they will die. So I acclimate at the same time. Still not going running at noon in July, but shady morning or evening hike or run? Sure.

    That said I'm not very young, very old, or having health issues - and I live in a fairly temperate are. Above 90 the only exercise I am doing is in water.

    During the summer in south Florida, my husky and I walked in the AM before sunrise and at night after sunset and we never acclimated.

    (He was a rescue dog - I never would have chosen a "snow dog" for south Florida. And by "rescue" I mean my ex found him wandering the streets of Atlanta about the same time as animal control who said they would bring him to a shelter where he might end up euthanized to which my ex replied, "Oh no you're not.")

    I'm not saying acclimations to extremes are likely - particularly not with central heating/air (and I'd not suggest not using either in extreme climates or even moderate ones) - just that lack of exposure impacts both people and dogs, too. If I have a summer where my dogs don't go out and keep going out, they even SHED differently and either retain or lose more coat and their tolerance for exercise decreases dramatically - even if their overall exercise level remains the same. This is ESPECIALLY true of my longer coated dogs because they fail to shed as much as they would if out in more daylight and higher temps.

    I'm not going to have a dog that acclimates to 95, much less 110, but I can sure watch them DEacclimate and be unable to function in 75 or 85 when not out in it. whereas most of the time if I stay on it they'll pause, drink, seek shade here and there and otherwise be good to continue agility or disc (so high intensity) stuff for an hour.

    I do a similar thing. I stay in AC and walking out, much less moving around, becomes harder and less comfortable. At 75-85. Summer Fla temps or the odd 95 degree day here I'll still die.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    It is helpful to acclimate, but there are limits. While technically still Spring, in ABQ we were at or over 100F all of last week and this past weekend. 95F is pretty much my limit for doing much outdoors that doesn't involve water. This time of year I'm up and out early to ride or I'm in the pool or on the river kayaking or up in the mountains where it can easily be 10-20* cooler.

    Exactly this and same. There are LIMITS. And they're going to be individual but that doesn't mean acclimation is useless/not a thing.

    Just gotta work out the lines for yourself.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I am TRYING to introduce this concept to my kids. We're going to Disneyworld in August. I know--horrible time, but really the best time for everyone's schedule. I keep telling them we need to get used to not only walking so much (well, THEY do), but the heat and humidity. We've had some unseasonably warm and humid days here in Northern ILlinois, and when they start to complain I tell this ain't nothin compared to Florida!

Categories