It’s over a 100 degrees outside and thoughts of running in the heat crosses and leaves my mind just as quickly as it entered, and then I drive by the community pool and see hundreds of kids playing in the pool. Now, what those kids don’t realize is that playing in the pool is great exercise, provides a great way to burn off energy, and assists in getting a restful sleep at the end of the day.
Recently, I have had to undergo physical therapy due to the overstraining of both hamstrings and a groin muscle. The physical therapy sessions included three times a week exercises in the on-post pool, for one hour sessions. The exercises included running from side-to-side of the pool, swimming from side-to-side, and doing what our instructor called “Turn and Burns” which consisted of forward leg kicks for one minute, and then turning around and kicking the water, while facing the pool wall.
At the end of the two weeks of pool physical therapy, my hamstrings were in better shape, and the pain in my groin area had recovered. In addition to the recovery of my strained muscles, I also found that my abdominal muscles had strengthened and my quadriceps muscles had doubled in size!
As the summer heat continues, the amount of time exercising outside in the heat is going to get harder to accomplish, while maintaining a threshold of hydration that the body can handle. The remedy that I suggest for exercising in the heat of the summer is this:
· Workout either in the early morning hours, or in the late evening hours, wearing a reflective belt, vest, or clothing to minimize vehicle drivers not seeing you, as you exercise.
· If you’re going to work out in the heat of the sun, then you should hydrate well, the night before. This will provide a fluidity level in your blood stream. My clock on hydration lays in the color of my urine, and the dryness in my lips. If my urine is clear or has a slight yellow tint, and my lips are moist, then I am fully hydrated and ready to exercise.
· The clothing that I wear while exercising in the sun consists of:
Ø A Hat of some kind to protect my bald head from burning, which is a leading cause of skin cancer.
Ø Sunglasses should be worn to protect your eyes from the glare of the sun, as well as reflections from the earth surface that you may encounter on your path.
Ø Socks that cover your ankle bones, which will protect your skin from debris that you may encounter, as well as biting insects that are at the grass line, should your travels take you cross-country.
Ø A SPF of 30 or better should also be applied to any exposed skin. I like to use a spray on, as I can easily carry the spray in a small satchel attached to my waist, or in the compartment that I put my IPod in while exercising.
As with any exercise that I do, I always stretch before and after the exercise. This will help alleviate any kind of muscle pain that can be incurred from exercising. My stretching is mainly focused on the muscles that I will be using, for example, if I am going to work on my stamina and endurance by doing cardiovascular exercises, then I stretch my calves, quads, hamstrings, and groin muscles. If I am going to cross exercise, by doing some push-ups or dips with cardio, then I will stretch the upper body as well, with special emphasis on core stretches.
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