Humidity is great for warding off wrinkles as your skin tends to stay more hydrated. Living in the South is great for your skin. That’s how you can put a positive spin on the sometimes oppressive humidity that seems to linger forever in both the summer and fall seasons if you live in the South. Let’s talk about how to keep fit and ways to beat the humidity. The personal trainers at Energy Fitness in Memphis are so use to working around excuses that people and clients have for not exercising that heat/humidity is just another barrier. Our motto we shout from the rubber floor of our fitness area is: “It’s not an option to eat fast food or not to exercise, it’s about changing your cues that create positive habits & become automatic.” An example of creating a cue for number 1 below in the list is have a favorite bottle you like to drink from. There are so many choices for beverage containers now. If you like to drink from a straw then get one with a built in straw. If you like your water to be cold, get one of those bottles that keeps it cold for 12 hours. I tended not to not drink enough water when I was kayaking because in the heat it would be like drinking hot water. I switched to the stay cold bottle and now it’s awesome and kind of a treat to get cold water on a steamy hot day.
Stay cool and eliminate the excuse…
“It’s to hot!”
Sexy doesn’t wait for the right temperature!
- Drink, Drink, Drink
One of the best ways is to keep hydrated at all times. Did you know that you lose the most water through respiration (breathing)? If you are a heavy sweater then you will need to make sure to stay ahead of the game and 30 minutes before exercise consume 500 ML of water (17 ounces). During exercise in the heat most people will need to drink 250 ML of water (8.4 oz) every 15 minutes. Find your favorite drink container for all the different locations you go during the day. I like a tall glasses at work and home and stay cold containers or glass containers in the car or purse. - Eat your veggies. On average, humans get about 1 L (4 cups) of water from the food we eat. Of course, this amount depends on our food selections. For example, fruits and veggies in their raw form have the highest percentage of water. FYI..if you are consuming grains (breads, pastas, cereals) & beans/legumes then you are storing 3-4 grams of water with each gram of carbohydrate. That’s why when people go on low carbohydrate diets the first few days is water weight lost.
- Consider light fabric and technical clothing choices during exercise. Avoid dark colors while exercising outside as it soaks up the heat and rays of the sun. The lighter the color the more the sun reflects the rays keeping you cooler. Technical fabrics wick sweat away from your body can keep you cooler.
- Be aware of your hair and or wear a visor to help soak up the sweat. I have long hair and can’t stand my hair to be bouncing and touching the back of my neck, so my solution is to put in a pony tail and then twist it with a big barrette and pin it to my hair. Wearing a visor is also helpful to wick the sweat away from your eyes.
- Avoid oils for tanning and make-up that doesn’t let your skin breathe.
- Bathe for fun. I know men don’t typically like to take a bath, however; it can really cool the body down. It might be a great time to introduce cool showers which is great for circulation. Click here to see 21 health benefits of a cold shower.
- Get made in the shade. If you’re exercising outside find streets or locations that have a canopy of trees to offer shady alternative to the sun beating down on you. If it’s oppressively hot & humid, exercise indoors with your own body weight or fitness equipment.
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Energy Fitness, 552 South Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103