Exercising in the Heat

Actually, all of New Mexico is experiencing hot weather right now. While we’re all pretty accustomed to hot weather in the summer, it’sbest to remind everyone that too much time out in the heat can be bad for you. Exercising in hot weather can cause what is called a heat emergency. Even if a person isnot exercising, a heat emergency can occur if conditions are extreme enough.Recognizing the signs and stages of a heat emergency could be critical to your(or a friend’s) well-being. The earlier a heat emergency is spotted and dealt with, the better. We never want anyone to reach the third stage of a heatemergency if possible.

The best remedy for this is prevention! Here are some ideas for staying active and safe through our hot summer months:

1.       Albuquerque has a lot of pools and spray pads where access is reasonably priced. You can find information about all aquatic options here.

2.       Do whatever outdoor activities you can early int he day, close to or after sunset, or in the shade.

3.       Winrock Center has an opportunity to walk indoors by joining their Stride Mall Walkers program, which is free. You can register the last Tuesday of every month from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. in the foodcourt.

4.       Consider working out indoors on extremely hot days: Take the summer months and work on your strength and balance! To set a good movement/activity foundation with your body, check out our Foundations class! For building your strength, check out our Smart Strength class or ourKettlebell 101 class! You can find the class schedule here. Simply click on the class you want to take and reserve yourself a spot!

Should you end up in a situation where outdoor activity could cause a heat emergency, here is some information that might help. This is not medical advice. If in doubt, please call 911. According to Healthline.com, the three stages of a heat emergency are heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Heat cramps: If your muscles are cramping during exercise in a hot environment (which is almost anywhere outside right now inNew Mexico), it’s time to slow down and cool off. You can massage the cramping muscle or stretch it gently, but the important thing to remember is that this is no time to “push through.” Get somewhere cooler and hydrate. (Please hydrate gently, taking smallish sips and spacing your sips out a bit.)

Heat exhaustion: This is the second stage of a heat emergency and is marked by symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, a fast heart rate or rapid breathing, headache, irritability, extreme thirst, pale skin, heavy sweating, nausea or vomiting, and fainting. If your friend is vomiting or fainting, please get them to an emergency room or call 911. If other heat exhaustion symptoms are starting to show, try getting your friend to a cooler area. Within reason, have them loosen their clothing. If you have access to cool, wet towels, put some on the face, neck, chest, and limbs. And again, hydrate gently with water or a sports drink, about every 15 minutes, taking smallish sips.

Heat stroke: This is the third stage of a heat emergency and is marked by any of the previous symptoms along with possibly a high body temperature (104° F), irrational behavior/hallucinations, confusion, dry skin, a rapid or weak pulse, seizure, or loss of consciousness. If your friend is having any of these symptoms, please call 911. While you wait for assistance, please get your friend somewhere cooler (or at least out of direct sunlight) if possible. You can also try all of the heat exhaustion solutions.In addition, consider removing sweaty clothing and fan the person’s skin. You can also apply ice to their underarms, wrists, and groin, but please wrap theice or ice pack in a towel first.

Enjoy your summer! Please stay safe as you stay fit!

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