Your exercise routine can really take a hit once the heat rolls in — it just isn't comfortable, and no one wants to risk heat exhaustion or a bad sunburn. The good news is there are plenty of ways to keep your fitness goals on track without the heat working against you.
The key isn't to stop moving altogether when temperatures spike — it's to adjust when, where, and how you move so your body isn't fighting the heat and the workout at the same time.
Keep Your Workouts Going Despite the Heat
You don't need to put your routine on pause. A few adjustments go a long way:
1. Work out in the early morning or later in the evening, when temperatures are lower.
2. Choose shady hikes with plenty of tree cover over open, exposed fields.
3. Beaches, rivers, and lakes offer a fun way to cool off while staying active.
4. Shorten your usual outdoor session and move part of your workout indoors.
5. Slow your pace to account for the added strain of the heat on your body.
6. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate — before, during, and after.
Rethink What (and When) You Cook
Turning on the stove or oven raises the temperature indoors too. Try recipes that need less cooking prep — a smoothie or a salad, for example — and if you do need to cook, do it during the cooler parts of the day so you can open up the house afterward and let it cool back down.
Small Changes Keep You on Track
Hopefully the heat wave doesn't stick around too long, but even a week or two of reduced activity can affect how easily you get back into your routine. It can take four to six weeks to regain what you can lose in as little as two. Making small modifications during the hottest stretches, rather than stopping altogether, keeps your body moving forward instead of letting the weather set you back.
The goal is consistency, not intensity. A shorter, cooler, better-hydrated workout that you actually complete will do more for you over the course of a summer than an ambitious session you have to cut short, or skip altogether, because the heat caught up with you.
When to See a Physical Therapist
If heat-related breaks in your routine have led to new stiffness, soreness, or a nagging ache as you get back into activity, our physical therapists at Empower Physical Therapy & Wellness can help you ease back in safely and rebuild the momentum you lost.
