Hot girl summer, here we come! 💪
Summer brings beach trips, outdoor yoga, barbecue invites, and plenty of Something about shorts, tanks, and swimsuit season makes everyone go berserk over exercise! While we all want to feel great in our clothes, and are so here for working out in *any* season, turns out summer might not be the time to set far-off fitness goals, after all!
That’s because extreme heat calls for some expectation adjustments, says obé fitness pro, Alex M.: “Heat, humidity, and longer daylight hours resulting in more sun exposure can really change how you feel during your workouts.”
In short, exercise can feel way harder—and sweatier!—on days when temps really soar. Read on to get a grip on how your bod copes, and find out how to stay cool while working out this summer—without slipping into sloth mode or totally burning out.
Hot Hot Hot! Your Bod on Heat 🔥
Heat doesn’t just change the way workouts feel: It totally tweaks the way your body responds to movement.
In the face of high temps and humidity, the body diverts blood to your skin to help attempt to cool you off, which means that—womp, womp!—less blood reaches your working muscles. This leads to an elevated heart rate and a faster feeling of fatigue, ultimately affecting your cardiovascular endurance. When it comes to strength, as heat rises, so do chances of dehydration, which then affects muscle contraction. So, your standard strength workouts may feel more difficult or you may feel weaker, due to your body’s inability to contract your muscles like it normally would while under tension. When thinking about flexibility or mobility, your muscles may feel looser or more flexible due to the heat, which can be a good thing, but also deceiving, since this can lead to over exertion and an increased risk of injury. Lastly, when it comes to speed and paces, you’ll likely find yourself to be a bit slower in the heat, as your body tries to pace itself to avoid overheating. When you increase your speed, your heart rate also increases, so when the two are already being taxed by the added element of heat, your cardio efforts can feel tougher and recovery can take longer.
TL;DR? “Your body has to work overtime to regulate its temperature, which can sometimes impact performance and as well as recovery,” Alex notes.
What Sweating More Says About Your Workout 🥵
While wringing out your shirt after a summer workout can make you feel like a fitness B-O-S-S, sweating more doesn’t *actually* mean you’re getting a better workout, Alex says. (SORRY!) That’s because sweat acts as a cooling mechanism, not as a fat loss tool or for better calorie burn, she explains. What’s more, water weight that is lost through sweat is temporary, and comes back when you rehydrate—so it’s not like sweating more simply because #summer will help sustain weight loss, if that’s your goal.
4 Smart Hydration Hacks💧
Given how much more we sweat just walking or sitting in warm temps, it’s no secret that you’ll need way more water when working out in warm weather. That also goes for anyone who exercising indoors in a space that lacks ample ventilation, and for people who see hot temps as the perfect excuse to skip a workout. After all, breathing and sweating are major sources of moisture loss—you don’t need to ~work it~ to feel dehydrated on hot days.
When temperatures soar this summer, try these tricks from Alex to stay on top of your body’s hydration needs:
- Pregame with water. Starting your day by chugging a tall glass will only help you get ahead of the hydration game, Alex says. Chug away!
- Drink water throughout the day, not just before or after a workout (or solely with meals!).
- Stock up on electrolyte drinks or packets. This way, you’ll have them on hand whenever high heat or humidity is in the forecast: While it’s typically athletes who need gels and other electrolyte replacements, they can be really helpful when sweating buckets—particularly during high intensity exercise that lasts longer than 60 minutes. (Alex M.’s favorites include: LMNT, Nuun, and coconut water.)
- Take a toilet look-see! Whether it’s clear or pale yellow (good to go!) or dark yellow or brown (time to drink up!), urine color delivers a real-time indication of where you stand on hydration.
Hot weather warning!
Caffeine, alcohol, and salty summer foods all compound dehydration in the heat.
Warm Weather Workout Tips: How to Change Your Workouts Because #Summer
A few ways to adjust expectations while exercising in extreme heat would be to shift your
Focus on the way exercise feels. The heat makes most things feel more difficult, so give yourself a break if you just can’t on certain days—or feel fatigued after just a few sets of work. Heat illness is serious and can sneak up on you fast, Alex warns, so pay attention to your heart rate, your perceived effort and your sweat rate to avoid any harm! Effort, she explains, can be a safer gage than say, pace, on extra steamy days, when a 20-minute jog might feel just as hard (if not harder!) than your typical 30-minute run.
Take breaks. Who said you have to wait for the end of your workout to cool down? Try working in an extra rest and recovery break mid-workout, and be sure to take a few sips of water as often as you can.
Avoid peak heat. Whether you’re into evening movement or early bird exercise, moving when the sun is on its way in or out can help you sidestep working out in the hottest heat of midday. If afternoons are your fave time to move, take your exercise indoors with a strategically-placed fan—sweet relief!
Swap cardio for strength workouts. If putting one foot in front of the other feels daunting, plant ‘em! Strength-training can deliver an awesome workout in the heat without feeling like a total drag.
Count the fun stuff. Exercise you naturally incur when say, walking in the sand during a beach day or splashing around in the surf totally counts as exercise! “It’s reasonable to skip a run or shorten a workout after a day on the beach,” says Alex—permission granted!
Consider cross-training. Summer is a great time to introduce water sports like swimming, paddle boarding, or rowing—and breezy ones like cycling. (Think: Wind in your hair!) Just like anything new, try not to take on too much of something new too soon, and reduce the volume and intensity of your usual workouts as you add in a new modality, Alex says.
Fuel up on water-rich foods. There’s a reason why quenching foods likes watermelon, cucumber, and leafy greens just…taste better in the summertime! Foods that are naturally full of water give your body extra opps to keep the fluids flowing. (And yep, ice pops totally count!)
Tweak your outfits. When revving up extra sweaty workout, choose moisture-wicking, breathable fabrics, while avoiding cotton, which can hold moisture in and can cause chafing, Alex warns. She wears compression shorts or biker shorts, avoids seams in high-friction areas, and uses anti-chafing balms like Vaseline or Body Glide to further reduce friction risks. Choosing base layers strategically is just the start of it! Alex recommends wearing lightweight long sleeves or hats to help protect your skin from direct sunlight and prevent over heating. (Thank her later!)
Protect yo’ skin! Any time you exercise in the sun, sunscreen is a must. Avoid any makeup, heavy oils, creams, or fragrances that may irritate sweaty skin, and opt for a long-lasting, water-resistent a non-comedogenic formula that won’t clog your pores. If you’re still worried about breakouts? Use a gentle cleanser post-workout. “I carry micellar water face wipes in my gym and work bags to quickly remove dirt or grime when I’m in a rush or dont have time to wash my face,” Alex says.
Throw in extra rest days. If you are doing multiple outdoor sessions per week, remember: Recovery is key! Maintain your performance by giving your bod the time it deserves to rest and reset.
Remember: “Overexertion in heat leads to fatigue and injury, so listen to your body, always err on the side of caution and adjust weekly movement or workouts accordingly,” Alex says. Also? Regardless of your fitness goals, enjoy your summer while it lasts!
Find a Summer Workout
Looking for summer inspo to get your sweat on this summer? Check out our Summer Strong Challenge or use our class filter to find “Low Impact” Class types!
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