Life Tips Daily

Yesterday, I introduced the idea that although the summer weather encourages more get togethers and social activities among friends and family, it does not necessarily lead to increased physical activity for everyone. It is actually possible to gain a significant amount of weight in the summer months (to find out how, see this entry).

Here are some ways to avoid weight gain and stay active despite the heat:

Exercise indoors
You sacrifice communing with nature but by exercising indoors you avoid the heat and humidity, which can have a fatiguing effect on you. Exercising in a cool room, preferably air conditioned, is a good way to ensure that you keep going at a high intensity without feeling like you’re going to die. Most if not all gyms in North America are air conditioned. If you exercise at home, you may want to relocate your treadmill or elliptical machine to the basement, or turn the fan on while exercising.

Dress in cool fabrics and materials
If you really can’t imagine getting your exercise anywhere but in the great outdoors, make your time outside as pleasant as possible. Dress in materials that “breathe”–if you’re a recreational exerciser, cotton may be fine, if you’re a more intense exerciser, you may want to look into synthetic materials known to wick sweat away from the body. Avoid wearing dark colours, as they attract the sun, and wear loose clothing that allows whatever breeze is present to circulate around your body.

Wear appropriate footwear
While for some, the first hint of sunshine is all that is needed before boots, sneakers or closed toe shoes are cast off, if you will be exercising, it is very important to ensure that you are wearing the proper footwear. The feet are often ignored and this is a shame because they truly do carry the rest of the body. If you will be running, it is important to keep wearing appropriate running shoes, if you’re walking or engaging in recreational sports, athletic sandals with good foot support should be adequate.

Link your dinner outings to more active plans such as dancing
When the sun is blazing, nobody wants to be slaving over a hot stove, so going out for dinner and having someone else cook while you sit in an air conditioned restaurant is always a treat. After a delicious meal, why not get a good start on burning the meal off by engaging in dancing? If you’re interested in learning new forms of dance, you can take lessons in paired dances such as the waltz, rhumba, salsa or merengue. If you prefer dance that doesn’t require a partner, why not try hip hop, jazz or tap dancing (and yes lessons in these dances are offered to adults!).

Earn your tan
Slather on the sunscreen and join a recreational beach volleyball team. Dedicate a day to volunteering for one of the many summer festivals that spring up. Garden. These are all fun ways to stay active and do something good–for yourself, the community or your neighbourhood.

There are a lot of other things you can do to exercise without succumbing to the heat. Try going for a swim, either indoors or outdoors, but beware: the sun’s rays reflecting off the water can lead to sunburns faster than you think. Also, if you’re swimming, you will need to re-apply your sunscreen as the water may wash most of it away. If your work commute isn’t too long, you may want to try walking or cycling to work. Or, go on a tourist’s tour of a place in your city you haven’t yet explored. Excursions such as the latter often guarantee a lot of walking.

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