Female Fitness Blog

Wow — it’s a steamy here in the Northeast!!   Well into the 90s with the three Hs — hazy, hot and humid.

As an exercise physiologist, I’m a big believer in the importance of working out consistently –  all year long.  That said, EVERYONE (even the most fit among us) needs to modifiy their workouts in extreme heat and humidity.  Especially, when the weather first turns steamy and you’re not acclimatized. 

Heat illness is more than just feeling “a little uncomfortable” from the noon day rays — it can literally be a matter of life and death.  Heat illnesses range from the relatively harmless “heat cramps”, to heat fatigue, to heat exhaustion to the potentially-fatal, heat stroke.

The body cools itself in two primary ways:

• By increasing blood flow to the skin so that heat is dissipated away from the body’s core to the skin’s surface.
• By increasing sweat production, so that the evaporation of sweat off the skin’s surface can cool the body.

Heat (particularly with humidity) and exercise both compete with the body’s ability to regulate body temperature within safe levels. 

Exercise challenges the body by demanding blood for working muscles.  So now your skeletal muscles are crying out for blood (for oxygen, nutrients and the removal of waste) at the same time your body is trying to keep you cool by bringing the blood to the skin’s surface.  On top of that, exercise generates its own heat which also needs to be removed from the body.

Humidity further exacerbates this problem, because if the air is already full of water vapor (as it is on a humid day) there is less room in the air to take up the sweat on your skin.  So it just clings to you — rather than cooling you as it evaporates.

And guess what?  Your body is smarter than you are.  Effectively your brain tells your body, “Hold on, Body — apparently, we’ve got an idiot running in the noon day heat and humidity, let’s shut her down before she overloads the system!”   And you experience that as heat illness.

The signs of heat illness, include:

• Muscle cramps (particularly in the hands, feet or calves)
• Excessive thirst
• Agitation
• Drenching sweats with cold and clammy skin
• Headache
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Feeling faint
• Slower heart rate

Signs of heat stroke (which is a medical emergency requiring immediate 911 assistance) include:

• Rapid heart beat
• Nausea and vomiting
• Hot, flushed dry skin
• Decreased sweating
• Decreased urination and/or blood in the urine
• High body temperature (104-106 degrees F)
• Convulsions
• Loss of consciousness
• Shortness of breath

With heat illness (as with most things in life) an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  So here are some tips for beating the heat — before it beats you:

• Allow your body a chance to acclimatize to heat.  It takes at least 4-7 days for your body to adjust to the change in temp and about 2 weeks to get used to working out in the heat.
• Drink plenty of water.  Be sure to drink at least 4 oz. of water every 15-20 min.  Don’t rely on your thirst to let you know when you need water.
• Avoid alcohol.  It dehydrates you.
• Add some salt to your food.  Salt helps the body retain water.
• Workout smart.  Exercise in the cooler times of day, either early AM or later PM when the sun’s going down.  Consider taking your normal outside workout indoors in the AC until the heat breaks, especially if you must workout at midday.  Pace yourself.  Do not expect to workout as hard as you normally would.  It’s not realistic — or safe!
• Wear clothes that breath and wick moisture away from your body.  Microfiber clothing such as Cool-Max, can really help draw your sweat towards your skin and allow it to evaporate more easily — keeping you cooler.   Cotton can get soggy and hold moisture against the skin — impeding the evaporation process.
• Consider working out in the water.  Swimming, water polo, water aerobics, even treading water are all good workouts that keep your core temperature down and can even be done in the heat of the day — another great summertime alternative to pounding the pavement in the heat.

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women

Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.  ~Chinese Proverb

We’ve all heard it said that stress can cause premature aging.  But is that REALLY true?  And if it is — what actually causes that to happen? 

Scientists are just now beginning to tease out the differences between so-called “normal aging” and stress-induced aging.  But there is no doubt that connection between stress and physical declines is very real.  In fact, it has been estimated that a whopping 90% of all doctor’s visits are in some way stress-related!!! 

There are more and more scientific studies which suggest that chronic stress changes both the physical structures– and chemical pathways – in the body in ways that mimic (and therefore speed up) the normal aging process.

For example prolonged exposure to the stress hormone, cortisol, appears to shrink the hippocampus, a structure deep within the brain associated with memory.  Therefore, stressed individuals are more likely to have memory deficits similar to those seen in the elderly

Additionally, chronic stress appears to alter the brain signals which result in the decreased release of anabolic hormones, such as DHEA, which help keep cells healthy and maintain good immune function.

Dr. Elissa Epel (and her colleagues) from The University of California at San Francisco studied the chromosomal differences between the mothers of chronically ill children and the mothers of healthy ones.  Her research indicated that stress actually altered the chromosomes within the cells, by shortening structures known as telomeres.

Telomeres are responsible for allowing cell division and preventing the scrambling of cellular information.   As we age our telomeres shorten, when they get too short, cells can no longer divide, become inactive and die.  It appears that stress effects the telomeres in the exact same way.   Incredibly, the mothers of seriously ill children had cells that looked an average of 10 years greater than their chronological age!

In total, these studies underscore the notion that the effects of stress are not just “all in our heads”, but very much in our bodies.  Moreover, they remind us that learning to manage stress is one of the most important health maintenance and anti-aging strategies. 

Daily meditation is one of the best ways to manage daily stress.  To view my free 3-min video on meditation made fast and easy just .click here

Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is an exercise physiologist, certified personal trainer and the creator of The Best Me Ever, a comprehensive weight loss and wellness system just for women