Hydration and the Heat: Keeping Your Body Healthy This Summer 

Summer is here and the heat is in full force. When exercising or playing sports outside in the heat, it’s important to stay properly hydrated to protect yourself. If you’re going to be out in the summer heat, follow these hydration tips to stay safe.  

How Safe is it to Exercise in the Heat? 

Many people love to get out in the sunshine and workout, however, exercising in the heat puts extra stress on the body. If you choose to exercise in hot weather, then you need to take safety precautions to protect yourself. Together, the exercise you’re doing, the temperature, and humidity can all play a part in increasing your body’s core temperature. To keep from overheating, your body will begin to send more blood to circulate through your skin. Due to this, there is less blood for your muscles, which increases your heart rate. If you workout in the heat, it can result in heat-related illnesses such as:

• Heat cramps, which are painful contractions that can occur with exercise.
• Lightheadedness or fainting, also known as heat syncope. 
• Head exhaustion, where your body temperature can reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, headache, fainting, and more. 
• Heatstroke, which is a life-threatening emergency when your body temperature is higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Hydration in the Summer

When it gets hot outside during the summer months, it’s important to stay hydrated whether you’re playing sports or just laying out by the pool. We lose body fluids through sweat during the summer, which is why it’s critical for our bodies to stay well hydrated. 

We need water for our bodies to operate. Without water, we wouldn’t be able to digest our food and get rid of water. Nemours explains that water is needed for the digestive process, and it’s also the main ingredient in our sweat. In addition to being an important part of the fluids in our bodies, each cell in our body also needs water to work. 

It’s explained that if you are going to be exercising in the heat, it’s important to drink water consistently through the workout, as well as drinking beverages that contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. Low-calorie sports drinks are a great option to help replace the sodium and potassium that you lose when you sweat. However, don’t solely consume sports drinks, you should be drinking water, too. 

If you’re going to be in the heat, like laying out by the pool, avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages as they pose a greater risk for dehydration because they pull fluids from your body. 

Risks of Dehydration 

You become dehydrated when you use or lose more fluid than you take in. When this happens, your body won’t have enough water and other fluids to function like normal. It’s dangerous for anyone to become dehydrated, but it is especially dangerous in children and older adults. Dehydration can present the following symptoms: 

• Dry mouth and tongue
• No tears when crying
• In babies, no wet diapers for three hours
• Sunken eyes or cheeks
• Extreme thirst
• Less frequent urination
• Dark-colored urine
• Fatigue
• Dizziness 
• Confusion 

Dehydration can also be the result of minor illnesses where there is diarrhea or vomiting. You should seek medical attention if you’ve had diarrhea for more than 24 hours, can’t keep any fluids down, or have bloody or black stool. 

Tips for Staying Hydrated 

The good news is that there are plenty of things that you can do to prevent dehydration and stay healthy when in the sun. Whether working out or just laying out, follow these tips this to keep up with your hydration this summer:

• Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should try to drink 80 ounces of water per day. 
• Eat fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water, like: watermelon, strawberries, celery, tomatoes, and more. 
• Drink low-sugar sports drinks when playing sports to replenish lost electrolytes.
• Try coconut water, which is low in calories and sugar, to also help replenish lost electrolytes and stay hydrated. 
• Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption. 

Call Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

Hydrating is just one piece in caring for your body while working out. If you feel injury or pain when you’re exercising, that’s not normal. Our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center will work with you to get to the source of your pain — not just treat your symptoms. Get healthy this summer with our team by making an appointment with us today.