Well if you hadn’t heard, this week is going to be an absolute scorcher. Naturally enough this bring with it the urge to utilise this finite opportunity to exercise outside in the UK. We are all about utilising that sunshine, lapping up that vitamin D and grasping the opportunity to train differently. After all our motto is #TRAINEVERYTHING and our outdoor facilities aren’t just for show.
There are a few things we need to think about however when it comes to training outside in order to make sure we do more harm than good. Some of these are obvious and some are less so. But before we get into them.. lets talk about warming-up.Â
Just because it’s warm does not mean that you are automatically warm. As we have talked about in a previous blog we are big advocates of a 3 stage warm-up process. This includes:
- Raising the heart rate and body temperature
- Activating the relevant muscle groups
- Mobilising the joints and potentiating (Movement prep).
As we can see here, being warm is only a small part of the warm up. So make sure to tick all the boxes and prepare properly for a great session.
Water
With the hot weather we are naturally going to need to increase the amount of water we drink. Sweat is one of our body’s temperature regulators and this costs us water so in order to avoid over heating, make sure we get plenty of water on board.
Sun cream
Yes this is obvious but we all forget to do it from Time to time and what could be a great week enjoying the sunshine can very easily turn into one day followed by long week in a dark room, covered in cream and missing out on all the fun.
timings
As much as we all want to be out in the blistering midday heat, this is not the best time to get your 5k in. Aim to get your exercises in when the day is at its coolest, you will get a better workout in and can enjoy the rest of the day in a less strenuous manner where the heat won’t be as dangerous.
Your dog
For a lot of people their dog is their main source of exercise. I feel as though this gets said every year but please do not walk/run your Dog when the day is at it’s hottest. Early morning, late evenings are best and trails and forest are much better than footpaths or roads. Remember; dogs don’t have trainers to protect their feet from the hot road.
Swimming
If you are lucky enough to have a pool or live near a beach or lake then it would seem like a crime to not get your togs out and jump in. One thing to remember when we are swimming is that if we are working hard it’s difficult to know if we are sweating or not given that we’re already wet. The best course of action here is to always assume we are and drink water accordingly. Swimming is a full body exercise and a big calorie burner, drink up and have fun.
So there you have it, pretty simple and unscientific from us at CT for a change. Enjoy the sunshine, get out and get active.