Heat training, how to identify and avoid heat stroke?

We are in summer, a difficult time to do outdoor training for many athletes

With high temperatures, the performance decreases you could even have the dreaded heat stroke. This is why we give you some guidelines to identify and avoid it

How to detect heat stroke

The dreaded and dangerous heat stroke occurs when the body is not able to eliminate heat through sweating, mainly in very hot and / or humid environments that cause dehydration.

Some symptoms that can alert us about the risk of heat stroke when we perform a workout in hot and / or humid conditions are:

  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Confusion, blurred vision, dizziness
  • High rise
  • Nausea, vomiting
  • Dryness and redness of the skin
  • Muscle cramps

Tips for training with heat

Increase hydration

Keep your body hydrated throughout the day, including during training.

Include seasonal foods with a high water content in your diet and avoid those that produce or promote dehydration (alcohol, fats and sugars).

Avoid the central hours of the day.

Between 12 and 17 hours it is not recommended to exercise since the temperatures in this strip are higher.

Try to adapt your workouts to the first hours of the morning or the last hours of the afternoon.

Use proper clothing.

Some false myths spread without foundation may make you believe that sweating is related to fat burning, but it is not true.

Therefore, look for suitable clothing that favors heat evaporation and light colors. In addition, the use of accessories such as caps or visors is highly recommended to protect you from the sun.

Listen to your body.

It is very likely that days of high temperatures cause feelings of lack of energy or fatigue at similar intensity levels and even lower than other days.

Adapt the workouts so as not to commit extreme efforts that could take your toll.

Make a period of acclimatization.

Possibly for goals or other needs you have to train in hot situations.

If this is the case, we recommend that, in addition to following the previous guidelines, you make a progressive adaptation in terms of the duration and intensity of the workouts and control parameters such as heart rate, sweating and body temperature.

Do not risk your health and listen to your body to be able to carry out your workouts in a healthy way during the summer

Laura García Cervantes

 

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