10 Ways to Enjoy Exercise in Hot Weather Safely, Based on Athletes

Over that time period, with regular exposure, physiological changes occur that help your body higher take care of heat stress. For instance, you get sweatier faster—and the evaporation of that liquid off your skin allows for higher cooling. Other indications include your skin and core temperature staying lower and your heart rate and blood flow more stable.

All this implies easing into exercise in hot weather is very important, Seely says; she wouldn’t have attempted a tricky interval workout at the start of summer.

Whatever your regular routine is, take a pair steps back the primary few times you’re employed out in the warmth, Seely suggests. Go for less time, fewer miles, or a lower intensity (perhaps more walking as a substitute of running, as an example). Over a period of per week or two, you’ll likely begin to notice things feel easier, and you may begin to ramp back up again—steadily.

Nevertheless, even after you’re acclimated, any given workout will likely still feel harder in the warmth, Kylee Van Horn, RD, a registered dietitian, certified running coach, and ultrarunner in Carbondale, Colorado, tells SELF. That isn’t necessarily bad, just something to take note—so adjust your expectations and don’t get hung up on hitting the identical times or paces you would possibly have the ability to in cooler weather. Finally, should you still need to go super hard and it’s super hot outside, take your workout indoors.

2. Get hot while you’re not exercising.

Though it may appear counterintuitive, you may speed up the acclimation process by spending time between workouts sweating too. In a University of Birmingham study, researchers asked 20 trained runners to hop within the sauna for half-hour after a simple run. After three weeks, they were more tolerant of the warmth, as measured by their core body temperature and heart rate in warm workouts—and what’s more, they ran faster in additional moderate weather conditions.

When she was preparing for the Speed Project in 2021—a 300-plus-mile run from Los Angeles to Las Vegas—ultrarunner Jes Woods used this method, adding half-hour in a sauna after every day’s run for a 10-day period. And Adidas Terrex athlete and ultrarunner Abby Hall hits the sauna for 20 to half-hour in the ultimate weeks before a giant event just like the Western States 100 (a 100.2-mile event with temps that hit over 100 degrees) or a Fastest Known Time race in Death Valley.

No access to a sauna? Simply sitting in a steaming bath can work as well, says Woods. Nevertheless, as Howard points out, research suggests the water must be about 104 degrees—a temperature that is perhaps hard to take care of for the crucial 20 to 40 minutes. (Plus, the water temperature shouldn’t go hotter than that, in keeping with the CDC.)

That’s to not say, though, that you may’t reap some advantages without going super intense with it. Simply spending 60 to 90 minutes in the warmth doing a little physical activity that’s not as strenuous as your regular exercise (say, going for a walk) may additionally stimulate some similar physiological changes. And just sitting outside with a book or a smoothie may very well be helpful, too, by helping shift your mindset. “Sitting in [high temperatures] will likely offer you more mental wherewithal to endure and luxuriate in than any actual physical adaptation—but mental resilience may be very essential too,” Howard says.

3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate—before your workout even starts.

Preparation is essential to hydration in the warmth, hiker Natalie Smart, owner of a travel business called Destination Hike, tells SELF. While hydration during each hike is important—she advises attendees of her treks to bring two liters of water to each hot-weather adventure, no matter distance—it’s not something you may cram for. As a substitute, get a jump-start by staying on top of your fluids beforehand. “People don’t know it’s the day before that may either set you up for fulfillment or failure,” she says.