When the heats turns up, so does the potential to sustain an injury. It's asking a lot of the human body to work out at an intense pace when the sun is beating down and the temperature proves threatening. Injuries can happen even to a professional athlete if the proper care isn’t taken. Thankfully, there are in fact ways to beat the heat and avoid damage, and a new report out of Boston explores some of these steps.
One thing to keep in mind is that your body must constantly be replenished. You’re going to be sweating a lot, and if you don’t take care of yourself by drinking a lot of water to replace all that you’ve lost, you’re asking for trouble.
Weakness will manifest in your form being compromised and muscles becoming increasingly sore. Simple things like lifting your legs off the ground during a run will be a chore, limiting all that you’re able to achieve with your fitness regimen. If you don’t feel good, then you can’t expect to stick to goals you may have laid out for yourself. Your entire workout can be undermined, but all you have to do to protect yourself is drink water and remember the basics. Don’t overlook such a straightforward injury prevention technique.
That holds true for really any type of activity, as does the importance of making sure that you’re actually prepared for an outdoor workout. If you’ve been away from exercise for awhile, it might not be the best idea to make your first foray into a new activity take place in 100 degree weather. You’ll grow exhausted more quickly than you would otherwise, and this will threaten to derail your fitness plans early on.
To get around this, think about keeping things indoors and doing some strength-building for a few bouts before you initiate a high temperature workout. By getting your muscles active, you essentially ease them into the more intense activities that you’ll soon be asking of them. Toning muscles just a little bit, whether it’s your legs for a run or your arm muscles for a round of golf, will ensure that you’re not going from zero to 60 immediately with your workout. Your musculature will then be more capable of holding up in the heat, and you won’t have to worry about throwing in the towel early the way you would if you went into the heat without that kind of initiation.
You also shouldn’t put all of the pressure of the workout exclusively on yourself. Find a friend or loved one to take part in the activity with you or hire a personal trainer so that you can be sure every movement is beneficial to you and your overall goals. That way, you don’t initiate an action that might be detrimental to your health due to inappropriate form.
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