Tips for Exercising in Summer Heat
Exercising can be challenging in summer when it's hot and humid! You might find your motivation wanes as the temperature rises. It’s also important to take extra precautions to stay safe when exercising in hot weather, pushing yourself too hard may have a detrimental impact on your health.
To help you continue with your fitness goals, we have some helpful tips for working out smarter - not harder - in warm weather.
1. Avoid the hottest part of the day
Exercising early in the morning is a great way of getting a workout in before the midday heat. The sun’s rays are brightest from 10am till 4pm, so if you’re a late riser wait until sunset or later. If that’s not possible, why not work out indoors or make use of our amazing facilities? You can find our opening times on our homepage.
2. Wear lightweight, light-coloured clothes
Dark colours absorb the heat and tight-fitting clothing will make you more likely to overheat while exercising. Instead wear something light coloured and looser fitting. Plus, if you are exercising outdoors, don’t forget the sun cream. You don’t want to let sunburn ruin that post workout glow!
3. Swap your workout for a swim
Looking for the perfect way to cool down and escape the heat? Then why not swap your workout for a swim? Swimming is an excellent full body workout that’s low impact, and you’ll never feel sweaty no matter how hard you work out.
Plus, swimming in a pool is a lot safer than open water, like beaches and lakes, which are often much colder than they look - even in summer. Our swimming pools are temperature controlled and supervised by our fully trained lifeguards to keep swimmers safe.
For swimming times check out our Timetables page.
4. Drink plenty of water
To replace the fluids you lose when you sweat you’ll need to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will reduce the risk of heat stress and maintain performance levels. Listen to your body – if you're thirsty or sweating a lot then drink! You’ll find drinking water fountains in our centre so you can refill your water bottles and keep on top of your water intake.
5. Don’t push yourself too hard
If it’s hotter than normal, the chances are you won’t be able to exercise at the intensity you normally do, but that’s okay. If you normally run, walk or jog slow your pace. Or if you do a HIIT workout shorten the routine. It’s being consistent with the number of days you exercise that matters most, not the length of time of your exercise session.