Exercising in Summer Safely!One of the biggest challenges to a regular exercise routine is cold, miserable weather. We have all woken up early in the morning, strapped on the runners only to hear that freezing cold wind, suddenly the excuse board comes out and we convince ourselves to stay in bed. As summer rolls around and day light savings kicks in we tend to be more active and spend far more time in the sun. While we welcome the hot days and sunny weather, they do bring some significant dangers such as, skin damage and heat stress.
Exercising in hot conditions is vastly different to exercising in cool conditions. When we exercise the body generates heat that it needs to get rid of, add hot weather to the mix and you can get a lot of heat building up in the body. When you have more heat being absorbed into the body than is lost you run the risk of heat stress.
How the body gets rid of heat?
Step 1. When your temperature starts to rise, more blood is pumped towards your skin to try and cool your blood down. This is why your skin gets redder in the heat.
Step 2. Once the blood gets near the skin it relies on the outside environment to take the heat away. Usually it is the air around our body that absorbs the heat. If we are in water it is the water that absorbs the heat.
Step 3. If this is not enough to cool us down the sweat glands kick in. You have about 4 million sweat glands over the surface of the body. When sweat comes in contact with our skin, the hot air makes the sweat evaporate and we get a cooling effect. The amount of sweat that is evaporated off our the skin depends on:
• How much skin is exposed (the more skin you expose to the air the faster you cool down)
• How humid the air is (When humidity is high, the air is saturated with water and the evaporation off your skin is reduced. A sign that sweat is not being evaporated is when you have beads of sweat rolling or dripping off you)
• Speed of the air over the body (The quicker the speed at which the air moves over our skin the quicker the heat is lost. This is why fans cool us down more than still air.)
When you can't get rid of excess heat it starts to build up in your body and you are at risk of heat stress.
The signs of heat stress are:
• Rapid pulse
• Dry swollen tongue
• Weakness
• Light-headedness
• Confusion
• Clammy skin
• Fatigue
• nausea
• Vomiting
What to do if someone has heat stress:
• Move them to a cool area
• Remove excess clothing
• If conscious give them water to sip
• Cool with cold compresses, rapid fanning and water
Here are some simple tips to follow in the summer months to protect against heat stress and skin damage.
1. Get your timing right: Avoid exercising in the hottest part of the day, this is between 11am and 3pm. Early morning or late afternoon is the best time to get active in summer.
2. Wear the right gear: Exposing lots of your skin to the environment helps to maximise evaporation however it leaves you at risk of sunburn. This problem has been solved by ASICS who have brought out an excellent range of exercise clothing that feature moisture wicking and breathable material to allow you to regulate your temperature better. They are also treated so that they have UV protection, equal to wearing SPF 15+ sunscreen. Is it essential to have good quality exercise clothing that will protect you from the sun’s damaging rays while keeping you cool. You will be able to find them in any good sports store.
3. Stay Hydrated: The most effective defence against heat stress is adequate hydration. Proper hydration levels help to maintain the right plasma volume in your blood to keep circulation and sweating at an optimal level. Before you head out to exercise is a great idea to consume 500ml of cold water 20 minutes (why cold water? Cold fluids are emptied from the stomach at a faster rate then fluids at body temperature). During exercise drink 250ml of water every 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t worry about drinking water while you are exercising, the absorption of water from the stomach is not retarded by exercise.
4. Keep it simple: Water is the best way to stay hydrated, consumption of drinks that contains concentrated simple sugars can actually slow down the rate at which fluid is absorbed from the stomach.
As we all know people with diabetes have to ensure that they look after their feet. This is essential during the warmer months. When exercising in warmer temperatures there is a great chance of your feet sweating. Sweaty feet are more susceptible to the following:
• Increased friction between your feet and the shoe
• Cracking and splitting of the skin especially between the toes
• Fungal infections like tinea, as these love warm, wet and dark areas
In addition another hurdle is that in the heat feet tend to swell, especially as the day goes on. What this means is that in the summer months you are putting a larger foot in your shoes. This creates great rubbing and friction and more chance of foot damage.
Here are some foot wear tips for summer:
1. Stay Dry: Regularly change your socks so that they stay dry during exercise. Also choose cotton rather than synthetic socks
2. Air Out: After wearing them make sure you air and dry out your shoes
3. Allow for the swell: When buying shoes in summer, buy them in the afternoon when your feet are at their most swollen
4. Get the best: The quality of your shoes is not something you should compromise on. The premier exercise shoe for people with Diabetes is the GEL-Assist and GEL-Cardio by ASICS. They are specifically designed to meet the criteria put forward by Diabetes Australia. They have a one piece upper with no exposed stitching inside the shoe to minimise rubbing and friction.
Posted by Christine Armarego
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