Exercise is important for our health, but the intense summer heat can make exercising uncomfortable. It only takes a little more consideration to turn the situation around–with the right preparation and routine, exercising in the summer can still be fun. Get a good workout using the following summer exercise tips!
Keep Hydrated
You might already know to carry a water bottle with you, but how often do you drink from it? Remember to drink water throughout your workout, not only when feeling thirsty. We sweat more in the summer to cool off, and our body needs more water to regulate our bodily functions.
Make sure that you drink water before, during, and after exercise to prevent dehydration, heat exhausting, and muscle cramping.
These amounts of water vary between each person and their unique exercise regimen, intensity of exercise, sex, and environment. Most importantly, listen to your body and hydrate before you are thirsty to ensure optimal health and physical activity performance.
Watch the Time
During the summer, the temperature can rise throughout the day and remain high until late afternoon. If possible, stay out of direct sunlight and exercise in shaded places. Check the weather to find heat and humidity levels throughout the day that are more comfortable for exercise.
Dress Right
Darker colors attract more heat and make you feel hotter. Tight-fitting clothing can also retain body heat by slowing down the evaporation of sweat. Choose light-colored, loose-fitting clothing for a cooler workout.
Lighten Up
Choose lighter exercise routines such as walking or reduce the total time of your exercise. Other moderate exercises include gardening, hiking, slow-jogging, and low-intensity resistance training. Yoga is a moderate exercise that requires little equipment, and it can be done both indoors and outdoors, so you can adjust your routine based on the weather.
Take advantage of the summer weather to participate in unique forms of exercise like: kite flying, fruit picking, kayaking, aqua aerobics, beach volleyball, and ultimate frisbee.
Exercise Resources
- Yoga resources:
- Follow this 15-minute morning routine from Harvard Health for a simple, refreshing yoga routine: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/you-can-do-yoga-a-simple-15-minute-morning-routine-2017062111921
- This following site provides free, video online, classes customized to your experience level and preferred yoga style: https://www.doyogawithme.com/
- Hiking resources:
- Find hiking trials and parks using the National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm
- Also check out the National Park Service’s helpful hiking resources: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/trails/hiking-in-parks.htm
- Use the Alltrails website or download the mobile phone app to explore hiking, trail running, and biking trails: https://www.alltrails.com/
- Find hiking trials and parks using the National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm
Exercise with family and friends
It can be sometimes difficult to completely rely on self-motivation to exercise. Invite your friends and family to exercise with you to make activities more enjoyable and to also have accountability partners for your exercise goals.
Some fun exercise ideas to do with friends, family, and children include:
- Take a coffee walk: Walk to your favorite local coffee or smoothie shop with a friend as you catch up. Walk back enjoying a healthy beverage!
- Nature Bingo: Take a walk, bike ride, or hike and identify all the items on this bingo card to score a “nature bingo.” Make your game more fun by offering a prize for whoever gets bingo first!
- Printable nature bingo card: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sites/parks/files/assets/documents/virtual/nature-bingo.pdf
- Create an obstacle course in your backyard: grab hula hoops, jumping rope, pool noodles, and whatever else you can find to construct an ultimate obstacle course for your family to race through. If you don’t have any materials to create an obstacle course, use sidewalk chalk to create hopscotch, a maze, and other pathways for your obstacle course.
- Water dancing: turn on your sprinklers or water hose and have fun jumping, dancing, and running through the water.
- Bounce like a bubble: Buy bubbles or use a bubble machine and make a game of trying to pop the bubbles! Make it even more fun by prompting friends or family to catch bubbles only by bouncing, skipping, crab-walking, or other alternative ways of moving around.
Know Yourself
Before you start any exercise routine, make sure to consult with your healthcare provider to ensure your optimal safety and well-being. You might find yourself more tired doing the same exercise in the summer compared to cooler weather, and this is completely normal. Break up your exercise routine into smaller pieces if necessary, and don’t push yourself too hard if you feel uncomfortable. Excessive sweating can cause dizziness and an imbalance of chemicals in our body, so it is important to stop exercising when feeling uncomfortable and rest in a cool place.
What is your favorite exercise for the summer? Let us know in the comments below!
