Summer workouts come with their own slew of potential issues.
When it comes to physical fitness, Summer and Winter are completely different beasts. During winter, you have to drag yourself out of bed or trudge through inclement weather to get to a gym, then spend considerable time stretching out cold muscles, all just to keep your body in decent shape for the following bikini season.
Summer workouts can be done outside, you are way more likely to convince friends to join you, and the fact that everyone is walking around in less clothes is a great motivator.
That being said, summer workouts can also be dangerous in some ways, for different reasons. Here are some tips for summer workouts, to get the best out of the warm weather months for both your body, and overall health.
READ MORE: Three Important Ways to Cool Down After a Workout
Don’t be afraid to change it up. The nice weather means that you can try all kinds of different fitness plans, from biking, to hiking, to outdoor gyms and group fitness classes. I encourage you to try and get your workouts accomplished in new, interesting ways. It’s a great time for experimentation.
Stay hydrated. Summer workouts always bring with them the risk of dehydration. Make sure to drink plenty of water. I carry around a metal water bottle everywhere I go, and keep it filled. You can also drink electrolyte drinks, and eat plenty of fruit and leafy greens, which offer their own hydration as well.
Stretching, and especially cooling down are very important for summer workouts. Also, despite your desire to drink freezing cold water, room temperature water is better for your body while you cool down. It’s beautiful weather, so even if you take a light jog or walk to cool down, it will help your body re-acclimate after a hard workout.
Pay attention to timing. You don’t want to spend too much time in the summer heat. You should also take into account what you are doing. Summer workouts are really best done early in the morning, or in the late afternoon or evening when the sun isn’t beating down on you, full force.
Wear sunscreen. I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t like chemicals, find a good natural sunscreen and pay the extra money for it. You should wear this sunscreen every time you go outside, basically. You should especially wear it during outdoor workouts.
Wear the right clothes. During the summer, you need breathable, easy to wear fabrics. Luckily, there are tons of options in terms of workout wear, and a lot of those options have good ventilation, and are designed for hard workouts. Just take it from me and pack the thermals away for the winter. I once accidentally wore thermal leggings to a hot yoga class and nearly passed out!