The temps are rising as summer settles across America. I am stoked.
I love the heat. I love
sunshine. I love everything about
summer. I am one of those crazy people
that will get in my car, turn OFF the air conditioning and just let the heat
soak into my bones. It feels so
good. I am sure this is related to
underlying arthritis and joint issues, but I also know that heat just feels
good to me. You will rarely hear me
complain about being hot.
There is one exception: I feel the heat when I run. Running in the heat will suck the life out of
me. I have found that I need to be
prepared to adjust my schedule for the heat and summer vacation in general in order to get
in my daily “Christ Walk.” As summer
approaches, you will also need to practice a little “Semper Gumby” (always
flexible) in order to meet your summer fitness goals.
First off, I have had to move my exercise time from my lunch
break to before work starts. This way, I
am avoiding the peak in temperatures outside and my husband can stay at home
with the kids now that school is out. It’s
nice that I get my exercise out of the way first thing, but it’s also taken an
adjustment in my sleep schedule to wake up an hour earlier. On the days I cannot get outside the door, I
will incorporate an indoor workout, bike with the kids, or hit the treadmill as
alternatives to the norm. I have joined
several summer fitness challenges that hold me accountable to being physically
active on a daily basis. Where possible,
I try and do those activities with my kids so that we are all being active
throughout the summer and spending active time together. The pool, the waterpark, parks, and
scooters all provide opportunities for us to get in more steps to our day that
count as physical activity. Am I
training for a big race around this heat or with my kids at home? No. I’ve
had to alter my expectations with this seasonal change, but I’ve also enjoyed
the opportunity to do something different.
When we challenge our bodies to do something different with exercise, we
often excel in our traditional chosen sport because we have utilized new
muscles in new ways.
With all this activity and sunshine comes the potential for
dehydration and sun exposure. The nurse
(and mom) in me feels the need to remind you to slather up or cover up when you
are out during peak sunlight hours. Nothing is worse than starting your summer
off with a burn. I can attest you should
also NOT trust your children to cover your back adequately with sunscreen. I had a nice strip of red down my back thanks
to my daughters “efforts” after a day at the pool with the kids. We had a great time, but the burn was a bummer.
The final key to success with your exercise during the
summer is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Your body needs that water and fluid when you are sweating more. If you’ve gone out for an intense run, walk,
sport, or other endurance event, you are going to need to replenish your body
of its fluids. Feel a headache coming
on? You might need more fluid than you
expect. A headache is a sure sign that
you should look at your fluid balance.
You may also need to replace the electrolytes you lost through
sweat. Sometimes, even if we are
drinking a lot of water after activity, but not replacing the electrolytes, we
may be making the headache worse. Drinking
too much water without replacing the salts in your bodies just dilutes those
existing electrolytes further and this can make a bad headache worse.
Since I like to avoid high fructose corn syrup and I try to
use as many natural products as I can, I like to use Nuun tablets as an
alternative to Gatorade or Powerade. The
Nuun tables replenish me on a run without tearing up my tummy. Eating bananas and applesauce and and 100%
fruit juices will work as well. You don’t
have to dump a bunch of chemicals into your body this summer—God gave us plenty
of alternatives from natural sources to replace what we have lost.
So enjoy the sun God gave us. Get out there and exercise and be
active. Join a summer fitness challenge
and don’t let the heat keep you inside.
Soak the sun up (and the Vitamin D) so that you are filled with summer
goodness through the upcoming fall and winter.
Life is a cycle. We can adjust
our schedules to make sure we take care of those things that are important to
us no matter the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment