This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Don't Get Beat By The Heat!

Summer is in full swing and it's HOT outside! Don't quit exercising, but be safe out there!

We're a week into July and blazing hot temperatures have arrived in the Saddleback Valley. It's tempting (I'm certainly guilty) to lay off the exercise when the sun is scorching, but you don't want to fall out of .

You need to be careful. Trying to earn tough points can seriously harm you. When you're exercising, your body heats up. Sweating is a cooling mechanism that helps regulate your body temperature. The warmer it gets, the harder it is to keep from overheating. Don't tough it out—smart it out!

I've done a fair amount of high-intensity exercise during summer months, including full marathons in humid, 90-degree conditions, and multiple ultramarathons that were at least 50 miles with 85-degree temperatures. I don't recommend doing anything like that—those races were completely miserable. But I also don't recommend sitting on the couch all summer.

Find out what's happening in Lake Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here are five tips to help you beat the heat!

1. Exercise indoors or early in the morning.
The cooler it is, the easier (or less difficult) it is to keep your body under control. 70 degrees at 6 a.m. is common during a hot stretch, and while that's not an ideal temperature for exercising (I prefer anything between 50 and 60 degrees), it beats the heck out of 95 degrees with the sun overhead at noon.

Find out what's happening in Lake Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I like to run outdoors, but I head to the gym and hit the treadmill midday. That air conditioning works like a charm, plus I'd rather my body heat up from a hard workout, not just from the weather.

2. Hydrate and replenish electrolytes.
Drink a TON of water! The general rule of thumb is half an ounce daily for each pound of body weight, but I drink closer to an ounce. Getting dehydrated in the heat will accelerate your breakdown and your workout will suffer. Once you feel thirsty, it's too late. You need to consistently hydrate throughout the day, not just right before your workout.

I run in the mornings, but my hydration is squared away the day before. If I wait until right before my workout, it's too little, too late.

Also, make sure you replenish your electrolytes. You'll lose them through exercise, which can lead to cramping and imbalances that will wreak havok on you. A sports drink like Gatorade should be sufficient.

3. Respect humidity.
Humidity is the silent killer. Well, not killer in the literal sense of the word. But it will bring you down during a workout. It forces your body to work harder to cool down, so while you don't feel like you're working hard, you're breaking down your body. You're not going to get the same quality workout in humidity that you would without it, so as long as you're aware of that and you don't overdo it, you'll be fine. 

4. Wear a heart-rate monitor.
You can get one of these for a fairly affordable price (less than $50) and it will help you keep from overdoing it. I wear a heart-rate monitor and make sure my heart rate doesn't get too high when it's hot. I might be able run at a certain pace on a nice, chilly morning, but when it's hot out, all bets are off. I respect the heat, and my heart-rate monitor gives me the data to do that easily.

It's also a nice tool to have even when it's not warm. You'll know how your fitness is progressing as you become more efficient at a certain heart rate, plus you'll have the numbers right there for you in the middle of a workout to let you know if you're not pushing hard enough (or too hard).

5. Don't be afraid to quit or take a break.
There's no shame in taking a break or stopping a workout if the heat is zapping you. I've run 96 marathons and ultramarathons over the past five years, but I still cut many a workout short due to heat. Just last weekend, I cut my weekly long run by more than half.

No one workout is going to make you. But one workout can certainly break you. Be careful—don't try to be too tough for no good reason! You're better off heading home early than heading to the hospital.

Keeping these five things in mind should help you get through the dog days of summer with your exercise routine fairly intact. If you have any questions, leave a comment here or hit me up on Twitter at @operationjack!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?