The sudden warm weather in the Quad Cities brings health precautions along with it. The temperamental Iowa weather has blessed the area with high 80 degree weather these past couple of weeks, but it is important to remember that our bodies have adapted to the cold weather we have had in the previous five months. The body must adjust back to the warm weather, in order to stay healthy.
Heat illness can be pretty severe to the body and may disrupt those first couple weeks of summertime. Heat illness is often caused by dehydration and low fitness levels which often results in heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and even heat stroke.
There are many ways you can acclimate your body to warm weather, one of which begins with outdoor exercise. Heat acclimation only takes about two weeks, during those first two weeks it is beneficial to your heart to spend time getting your heart rate up in the warm weather. In addition to exercise, it is necessary to increase the body’s intake of both water, and sports drinks so that electrolytes can be replenished.
The heat acclimation process can be a little different for people who have been fitness training heavily in the cold weather. Running may feel a little bit more difficult, and the body may feel slow following heavy exercise. A strong runner could feel confident running long distances in the cold, but it is a whole different story in the heat. Begin by easing into your run, and it is beneficial to cut down the distance of your run by a little bit. Also, it is possible that you could be drinking too much water or sport drink after your run. If you feel exhausted and sluggish following exercise, you may need to limit the intake, so that the body can actually absorb the electrolytes you are putting in.
A person’s diet is also significant to how the body performs in warm weather. Eating small, healthy meals before a workout will give you more energy during the period of exercise. Make sure to replenish the calories that were burned, if you are participating in rigorous exercise. Food is equally as important in replacing the minerals lost from sweat.
