Summer is a great opportunity to get outside, become active, and enjoy the fresh air. The only problem is that with summer sun means increased heat. Heat can be an athlete's worst nightmare by bringing you down with a case of heat exhaustion or even worst: heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion is a case when your body's core temperature is starting to get out of control. You start sweating profusely, lose energy, get dizzy, and/or become nauseous. If you recognize the signs then heat exhaustion is completely curable and leads to no long term affects. But if you keep on pushing yourself and do not take control of your heat situation then it may turn into a case of heat stroke.

Heat stroke is extremely dangerous, even life threatening. Your body temperature is now so high that you are burning proteins in your body… even in your brain. Remember those old "this is your brain on drugs" commercials with the egg in the frying pan? Well the saying should be, "this is your brain during heat stroke." You can guess that it leads to a harder recovery than exhaustion.

I have had heat exhaustion a few times myself, and it is not a fun situation. The worst was during a bike ride I was feeling terrible and knew I needed to get home. By the time I was walking in my door nausea started to hit me and I had to lay on the floor with the fans on full blast till I could get up to get water. I do not recommend being in this situation if you can help it.

Since I do not recommend staying inside all summer long to avoid the heat, follow these 5 tips to keep you in tip top shape when you are outside.

1. Drink water: Staying hydrated is key. They second you step out into the heat you begin to lose water through sweat and respiration. Keep it under control by:
   • A. Drinking water 30 minutes before heading out
   • B. Drinking water during
   • C. Drinking water after
   Pretty easy, just keep bottled waters on you all the time.
2. Dress For The sun: Avoid unbreathable heavy materials. Even if they are short sleeves or sleeveless. If you are exercising or playing a sport stick to wearing real athletic attire, not just cotton t-shirts. One example is Underarmor, they offer fitness attire made out of "heatgear" which is suppose to help heat escape from your body.

   Go with light materials and even choice light colors. The old idea is true; if you wear dark colors you will get hotter faster than your white clothed friends.

3. Sports drinks: If you plan on being active for longer than an hour then you should grab for sports drink. With all the sweating your body is doing you are losing a ton of electrolytes that will need to be replaced. Sports drinks are the way to go for this. Just try and choice a drink low in sugar. There are even waters now that are packed with electrolytes ("Smartwater"). Just pack a sports drink in your cooler before heading out the door, do not assume you can grab one when you are finished.
4. Don't Push Yourself: Take the weather into consideration. If it is 90 degrees outside then it is important that you do not try to get your best 5K time. Lower your intensity, of course you are not going to be able to push yourself as hard as it it were 70 degrees outside. If you feel as if you need to rest then do.

   I live in Charleston, SC and our humidity is through the roof, which makes our heat index feel as if we live at the equator. It is not abnormal to have a heat index of 110 degrees or higher. On these days you will not find me running outside!

5. Indoor lock-down: The sun is at its strongest intensity between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. If you have any time control of your outside activities keep them outside of this range. Not only will the air not feel as hot, but your skin will be grateful for not getting fried. But no matter what time you are out, it the sun it out put on the sunscreen.

There is nothing like being outside during the summers. If I could, I would be doing something outdoors every day. But there are limitations to the heat your body can handle. Be smart about your activities and treat your body well. Then you will not find yourself lying on the floor under a high fan to cool off.

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