28 June, 2014

Workout in summers


Contrary to popular belief, summers are an ideal time to workout and lose weight, if need be. One can deal with the heat by making educated adjustments and with the proper precautions, one can manage to stay cool and energetic while avoiding heat-related problems. 

You sweat more in summers as sweat is the natural cooling system of the body. It needs to be understood that when you sweat, the fluid evaporates from the skin’s surface, carrying away excess body heat. In an indirect way, sweating from hard exercise helps you lose weight and by increasing your BMR (Basal metabolic rate). Its major role is to assist in thermoregulation – to prevent the body from overheating. When you sweat, you lose water weight, and in summers one has to be wary of dehydration especially while excercising. While you may lose as much as 2 kilos during a workout, you will gain it all back as soon as you drink water after the session. Weighing yourself before and after exercising will tell you how much fluid your body requires.  

Workout should be done in a moderate to low intensity levels. Some suggestions are:Running
Swimming
Light weight training
Yoga stretching
Pilates
Beat the heat:
Heat-related illnesses like exhaustion in heat cramps and stroke can be easily handled, by adjusting the time of exercise – earlier in the morning or late evening if exercising outdoor. If working out in the gym or indoors one can do it any time.

Listen to your body while working out. If feeling heated, dry or very tired, stop and rest. It’s never a good idea to push yourself in extreme heat situations.
Always hydrate yourself before, during and after the session of exercise. While exercising for longer periods the body requires more water to remain hydrated – water can be replaced by sugar drinks as well for more energy.