July 20, 2020 • 39 mins
You can't beat the heat, but you don't have to let the heat beat you! Since we've gotta keep moving, we can't let the inevitable hot weather keep us from getting outsider, and enjoying our summer days. In this episode of Fitness Disrupted, Tom tells you what to expect from your body as the mercury rises, as well as some tips on how to exercise in hot weather so that you can get outside, be safe, and get the most out of your workouts.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of I Heart Radio.
I am Tom Holland and this is Fitness Disrupted. Ten
tips for exercising in the heat. Yes, it is that
time of year. It is currently July. It is hot outside.
(00:24):
I am actually recording this show as we speak at
about seven o'clock at night, and I'm getting ready to
run when it's over, and that will be one of
my tips. But yes, this is a common topic, but
for good reason. And of the ten tips I'm going
to give you, I see people violating them every day.
And we are in unique times because as I record
(00:46):
this as well, we're still in the middle of the
covid uh covid issues right, the covid epidemic, whatever you
wanna call it. And there are more people exercising outside
than ever before in my entire lifetime. I have spent
my lifetime either in gyms or exercising outdoors, and the
majority being outdoors. And this is these are just unique times.
(01:10):
I've said it before. It's kind of like when I
go out for a bike or a run, it's like
a really poorly put together triathlon. There are people on
the wrong side of the road, walking, biking, you know,
pushing kids, biking with kids, and that's awesome, but I'm
gonna give you tips because again, many of those people
(01:30):
are doing things that are potentially dangerous and and you know,
the two things I'm gonna talk about is you want
to be smart and you want to be safe. You
want to be smart and safe, and I talk about
frequently on this show. My job is to get you
the greatest results in the shortest amount of time with
the least likelihood of injury. And that least likelihood of injury,
it's not just for strength training and pulling muscles and
(01:51):
and things like that, but it's also for cardiovascular I mean,
that's the heart is a really important muscle. And heat
can be really challenging and you have to uh, you
have to know what you're doing and you have to um.
It's the word I'm looking for. You have to respect
the heat because you can't beat the heat, but you
(02:14):
can do many things to make it affect you less.
And how do we know this We always learn from
what yes research, but the extremes, right, And that's what
I'm gonna talk about to start us off, because Hawaii
iron Man, the Bad Water Ultra Marathon, many of those
studies study those people, and so you know, one of
(02:38):
the greatest ways to see what works is not necessarily
the research all the world always gonna look at that,
but it's from people who literally need to win a
race to feed their families. They will do whatever they
learn works to get them to the finish line first.
And that is really really important knowledge and information for
(03:00):
us to look at. And when these people who are
doing it for a living to feed their families, to
make ends meet for their paycheck, and they start to
do things in these extreme environments, whether it's nutrition or
gear or training or what they do in the heat,
we have to look at those things and see what
(03:20):
patterns and what works and what doesn't. Okay. So that
is one great resource that we have when we are
looking at a topic like this, Okay. And my personal
experience is part of all of this as well. I
have been very fortunate to travel the world racing and
competing and pushing my body. Talk about like I'm all
(03:42):
about experiences and the fitness experiences, and I have raced
in some really brutal conditions when it comes to the heat.
Iron Man Malaysia it was a hundred and three degrees,
upper nineties percent humidity, one of the hot Malaysia. It was.
(04:02):
It was Malaysia. That's all that needs to be said.
I also did iron Man's in China. I went to
South Korea twice. Not as brutal as Malaysia, but pretty
darn close. I did an ultra marathon. I will end
the show by talking about on Hawaii. I did the
Hawaii iron Man. So I have learned through trial and
error along with my studies, how it feels, what works
(04:24):
for me, what I've seen other athletes do, and gonna
take all of that. We put all of that together,
and one of the specific tips I'm gonna give you
was totally said to not be true, to actually be
the opposite by a very well known writer. Again I
don't need and I don't name names, but ridiculous. I'm
gonna be leave it. It It was ridiculous. It was ridiculous.
(04:46):
And contrary. It was you know, something that got a
lot of press for this article about like what you
should never do in the heat, and it's something people
do frequently. And I would argue that the writer not
had no experience in that field, you know, has read articles,
has looked at some research and then just wanted to
go to the contrary. And that's dangerous when we're talking
about a topic like this. But we're gonna get into
(05:08):
all that, all right. So ten tips that you can
employ right away that will really not only keep you
safe but maximize your enjoyment when you are and if
you are exercising outside. All right, So quick break when
we come back, let's get right to a ten tips
for exercising in the heat. All right, great topic. I
(05:40):
have to say. Also, I loved and and continue to
love exercising in the heat more so than the cold,
and I've done both. Uh, And as I've gotten older,
the heat has started to affect me more. And that's
generally you know, Uh, we recover slower and our bodies
changes we get older. But by large, if you give
(06:01):
me two extremes, I will take the heat any day
of the week. And one of the reasons is because
I have so much experience in doing it. I like
that feeling the cold. Just I can't do a triathlon anymore.
If I get out of the water and it's it's
under sixty degrees, I just don't want to do it.
So I'm genetically I would argue a little better than
(06:23):
than the average person at exercising in the heat. But
then again, I've taken that an experience and trial and narrow.
Let me tell you as well, I've made the mistakes.
You'll learn really quickly. But we take the research, we
take the anecdotal, we take common sense. We put it
all together. So let's just start number one, common sense
when in doubt, when you can, if it is a
(06:45):
brutally hot day, brutally humid day, stay indoors. I mean
that is like the most common sense of go first. One.
We can't avoid that tip. If you can stay inside
and get your work out in, then do it. Okay,
if you have a treadmill, if you have an elliptical
and you want to go outside for a walk, and
that's your normal routine or a run, and it's brutal
(07:09):
as temperatures are higher than they've ever begun. I'm in Connecticut,
but I'm oftentimes speaking with someone from Florida, Arizona, Texas,
places where the temperature gets like ludicrously up into the hundreds.
When in doubt, when you can get your work out inside,
have to start with that. And if you have the
cardio equipment. Great, if you don't, you can get a
(07:31):
great workout in with just body weight cardio as well.
You can jump rope inside. You can do whatever you
need to do that you enjoy. Jumping jacks. You can
do a circuit of skaters and jumping jacks and running
in place and burpies. You can do cardio only with
no equipment if you want to. And then if you say,
(07:51):
you know what, I don't want to do those exercises,
well then you stay indoors and you switch the routine up. Okay,
but when doubt when you can just stay indoors. And
it's totally different than it was years ago. Now there's
all this content. You can find a video and just
search out cardio workouts. I did a bunch myself for
many one company in particular. Uh and so the content
(08:15):
is there so you can stay inside. You can stay safe.
As I was talking about at the start, be smart,
be safe, because you don't want to injure yourself. You know,
you can push yourself way too hard. It's it's the
whole topic of this show, and you want to avoid that.
You have to be smart and be safe. Okay, So
if you can and you want to and you have
(08:35):
the equipment, or you're up for a workout inside with
just body weight jump rope again something like that, then
you do that first and foremost. Okay, then number two.
If you say, well, I don't really want to do that.
I really love running outside and maybe you don't have
a treadmill or you don't want to be inside, well,
then the time of day that goes without saying too. Right.
(08:57):
So if you say I need to get outside, I
want to get out side, well, then try to avoid
the hottest time of day. And generally speaking, again depends
upon where you live. But let's say I used to
say tended to, but let's say nine to four in
in many places, So get up early, get up early,
(09:19):
or if you're not that person, then like I'm gonna
do tonight. It's kind of great to run in the
evening too. I mean, I love my morning workouts. I
love when the world has just waken up and and
you know, I remember coaching people from Florida and when
they were, you know, in their marathon training groups, they
(09:39):
would oftentimes get up at like four thirty and get
out and actually that brings up memory I did the
Honolulu Marathon in December many years ago, and I can't
remember exactly, but it started at like I want to say,
five thirty in the morning. It was it was ridiculously
early because it was so hot and and they wanted
(10:00):
us to be done before the hottest time of day.
So you need to take that into account too, So
don't go out at noon if you can avoid it.
And that's one problem I see right now with COVID.
I see so many people out, you know, pushing it
at really hot times a day, and a lot of
times with your kids. Now kids are more resilient, I
(10:22):
get it, but again, be smart, be safe. That goes
with it, should go without saying okay. So number three
now we're getting so we're talking about you stay indoors
if you can. If you're gonna go out, pick the
smarter times of day, less hot, humid, earlier or later.
And now let's get into what you're gonna do. You know,
hydration wise and food wise. Hydration is super important, so
(10:46):
much confusion. I'm not gonna get deep into it, but
you want to be hydrated, and generally speaking, that means
somewhere like eight to ten ounces of fluid water or
a sports drink like ten to fifteen minutes before into
twenty minutes before, you know, get some fluid into your system.
And then I do see and I like this. I
(11:06):
see people now all the time walking holding water bottles.
Smart and you don't need an enormous one unless you're
going for a really really long walk, but bringing a
water bottle with you, and again that can be water
or a sports drink that is smart. Okay, uh, one
thing you don't want to do and I don't you know,
(11:27):
we don't have to go deep into this either. But
there is something called hypone a treatma that is water intoxication. Okay,
that's where you take in too much water, and that's
generally marathons, longer events. There's a whole host of things
that come together to create that um specific issue. But
like everything else, moderation don't overdo anything, and that goes
(11:48):
with water and fluids as well. So again, roughly eight
to ten ounces of a fluid roughly ten to twenty
minutes before you go out for a really hot workout.
And again that maybe a walk, a run, a bike ride,
and if you can and it's gonna be hot and
you're gonna be out for a while. Bringing water and
(12:10):
or that sports drink with you is a great idea
as well. Let me say this, I always bring money
with me. Now if I'm going out for a bike ride,
generally that's longer, but even my longer runs I bring.
I have multiple ways of carrying fluids. I have handhelds
uh so a bottle in each hand. It's a little
glove type thing that slides over your hand, and you
have a water bottle. And in that water bottle holder,
(12:32):
there's also generally or usually a little pocket where you
can put your keys and money and things like that.
Uh I used to think, as maybe some of you
do who haven't tried it, like oh my gosh, that
must be so heavy and why would you hold anything
in your hands. I was shocked when I finally got
around to trying it many years ago. Totally works for me.
So let me just give you an example. If I'm
(12:54):
going for a hour and a half run, I will
have a water bottle or you, and then I will
run and do an out and back course where the
turnaround is a gas station. I have money. I finished
the water bottles before then I refill with water or
a sports drink at the gas station and I turned
around and run back. And I always try to keep
(13:16):
the money as dry as possible, so I put it
in that handheld they used to put in my shorts.
And as I've talked about another show's t M I,
but I sweat like crazy and it was always embarrassing
to kind of put the you know, soaking wet ten
dollar bill on the table. Some of you know exactly
what I'm talking about, and you just tell the person
behind the counter just wait, you know, wait an hour
before you pick that up because it's covered in sweat.
(13:38):
But be smart. So depending on how much you sweat,
how long your workout is gonna be again, hydrate before
consider bringing stuff with you. And if you're going out
for a long period of time, that could be a
long walk with a friend too. If you're doing a
two hour people are doing, you know now with COVID,
I know a bunch of people who are doing, like,
you know, thirteen mile walks, half marathons and marathons with
friends just to get out and just to get a
(13:59):
work out in uh. I also will along my route
find you know, like water fountains and refill there. So
that is a consideration. But as always, don't overdo it
and let me just throw in here. When it's super
hot out. Now, this is highly individual. Eating too much
before can be an issue for a lot of people.
So if it's gonna be a super hot day and
(14:20):
you're going out for a workout, be careful what you
put in your stomach because the heat can make that
uh you know, can make you nauseous in a different way. Again,
a lot going on there depends on the person. But
something to think about alright. Number four super important, And
this has changed so much over the years since I
started clothing. Clothing, clothing, clothing. Please, I've said this for
(14:43):
decades now, don't go out when it's degrees in your
thick cotton you know college shirt that is just that
you love, but that just doesn't wick the sweat away
and just become soaking wet, and we'll just serve to
make you hotter. The performance fibers they have now for
(15:04):
clothing is crazy. I have some shirts from actually Brazil
with another hot race I did iron in Brazil. I
don't know what this fabric is, but it is the lightest,
coolest fabric I've ever felt. It is like so paper thin,
but then it's strong. So lightweight clothing that wicks the
(15:26):
moisture away from your body, right, that doesn't just sit
heavy on your body. And you want to try to
wear a lighter collar. Don't go out in all black
that you know will absorb the heat, especially when it's thinner,
and it's gonna keep that heat next to your body.
So lightweight clothing, light colors, and then hats or advisor.
(15:46):
So many people say, well, if I wear a hat,
it's going to trap the heat in my head. Well,
you're not wearing a wool cap, which I see people
wearing in the gym, and I always wonder why you
wearing al that's obviously for a fashion statement. But you
know there are perform men's fiber hats and visors now,
and that's something again if you look at endurance races,
most people are doing that because you don't want the
(16:08):
sun beating down on your head. So I would even
say that performance hat from for many people is advisable
over the visor. But even the visor is gonna help.
It's gonna keep that sun off your face. And if
you're squinting for you know, a long period of time outside,
that's gonna add to your just fatigue. So lightweight clothing,
light colors, hat or advisor to keep the sun off
(16:31):
your face. And no, it's not going to trap heat.
One thing that may be counterintuitive, and you can go
back and forth and debate this, but guys, not always
a great idea or not a great idea to go
shirtless because the sun is beating down on your body.
You have no protection against the sun. Now, if it's
something you enjoy and you're fine with it. And I
(16:51):
know a lot of the cross country guys, I mean
they don't wear a shirt in December. They never wear shirts.
I think the only time they wear shirts are the
single it's during races, right, Uh. But it's a consideration,
not a great idea to have your entire upper body
of skin exposed to the direct sunlight that's coming down
and just you know, burning you up while you are
(17:13):
out for your workout, whether that's a walk or run
or whatever you're doing. Even I see people biking without it.
You know, have that protection of a thin layer of
a performance fiber against the sun. And let me say
this little tip, little track again, the mistakes you learn
in racing if you're putting sunscreen on and Let's say
you're going out for a bike, ride or run or walk, whatever,
(17:34):
be careful don't put too much, if any, on your
forehead above your eyes, because what happens. Many of you
have had this unpleasant experience, especially if you're biking. You
start to sweat and it mixes with the suntane lotion,
and what happens. It goes right into your eyes and
then you can't see. And if you're biking fast, that
can be a problem, So be careful with that. There's
(17:56):
different types of sunscreens you can try, but oh, we
especially if you are someone who is competing. These are
things and these are the reasons why we talk about
don't try anything in a race for the first time.
Try it in training and do so when you can, uh,
you know, modify your workout so you're not going too hard. Um.
(18:17):
And then one last one I want to throw in there,
and I did this with a client we were doing
the Boston Marathon. I was pacing him through that. Just
at a podcast about that. It's my train by Tom story,
my short story, my Boston Marathon story if you want
to listen to that little fun anecdote. But gentlemen, was
we were going to do the marathon, or we were
doing the marathon two thousand twelve, brutally hot, and you
(18:39):
know I needed to keep him cool for the race.
So one thing we did do is we had a
bandana that we would drop in the ice buckets at
all the eight stations. Whenever we could, would put it
around his neck. So a cold bandanna around what they
consider a hot spot to cool down your core temperature.
All right, So just in the clothing department, you know,
if you're a hiker, hennis player, even whatever you're doing outside.
(19:03):
This doesn't just mean runners and bikers. I just you know,
I can't throw in all the sports. But uh, you know,
having a wet bandanna and putting it around your neck
or or something like a bandana gator type thing, good idea.
And a lot of this is psychological, by the way,
physiological and psychological. Whatever works, doesn't matter if it's one
or the other. Generally it's often both. And that's huge,
(19:26):
all right. You know what one final break when we
were almost halfway through, and when we come back, we're
gonna get about five more. All right, But all great
things again, if you're golfing, if you're just whatever, you're
doing outside, I want you to enjoy it more. I
want you to be safe. And if you're someone who's performing,
if you're a golfer, a tennis player, you know, bite whatever,
(19:49):
and you want to even perform better. All of these
things make a difference. But they're all great ideas regardless,
because again, we want to be as safe and as
healthy as possible. All right, final break. When we come back,
five or six more tips for exercising safely and enjoyably
in the heat, we'll be right back. I have to
(20:18):
say that, yes, many of these things are common sense,
but that's fitness, and that's health, and that's nutrition. But
we have to go over and over and over them
because unfortunately, many people just don't do it. And it's
the little things. I will say this so often on
Fitness Disrupted. It's the little things that make all the difference.
It's the little things done consistently that make all the difference.
(20:42):
And it's what you do in practice that makes all
the difference. I say this to my kids all the time,
and I did the show. Practice doesn't make perfect perfect,
practice makes perfect, Okay, So all of these things will
help you enjoy or outdoor workouts in the heat. And
let me say this too, we can't always exercise when
(21:05):
it's perfect. So people go, oh, it's too cold, it's
too hot, it's rainy, it's it's cloudy. I don't feel
you know. One of the reasons I had success in
one of the reasons my clients who were successful at
at racing and those type of events, or because you
do it in all the conditions, you do it regardless.
(21:25):
The only time I don't really train is thunder and
a crazy storm where I can get hurt, but I'm
always safe. But I don't, you know, not go for
a run because it's raining, or you know, you do
the workouts because there's always a reason. There will always
be an environmental reason or something else to not do it.
And if you are someone who's competing, inevitably on race day,
(21:46):
something like that could happen. I never checked the weather
other than to see what I'm gonna wear for that race.
But I've trained in everything, and my clients have trained
in everything, and you have to train in life the
same way. There will always be obstacle. If we only
exercise on the perfect weather day, it's not gonna work.
It's not gonna work, all right, So that's something that
(22:07):
has to be set uh, because there's always a reason
to not do it, and the weather is an easy
one depending on where you live. Right, all right, we
are on number five. Now, this one's uh, They're all important,
but this one especially for the those of you who
are exercisers, and this can be difficult. You got to
modify your workout. So in other words, if you especially
(22:30):
if you have a schedule and you go, okay, today's
the day I go out and run six miles or
I bike, uh, you know, twenty miles, or I have
a tennis match, and the expectations are such even back
to the Boston Marathon story, that is exactly what we
did that morning of and the night before even I said,
we're modifying our goals because I knew it was going
(22:51):
to be in the nineties. And you can't beat the heat.
So if you have to, if you have a specific
workout out, whether it's duration or pace anything like that,
you've got to modify the workout. So duration is super important.
Right if you normally go for your hour long walk
with a friend and the conditions are just just really
(23:16):
harsh to heat, the humidity you may have to go shorter.
You don't have to. You don't have to. You know,
say we're not going but you say, you know what,
we're going for a half hour. And you know what
a great example of this is for me my two dogs.
My two dogs, every morning we go out for that
hard uh got the chuck it and they swim every
day and I throw the ball. They're doing interval training
(23:38):
and crazy they expect it. Every day. In the winter
we're out for like an hour. In the summer, we're
out for like half an hour because they don't want
to not run. But dogs don't cool themselves very well.
So I modify my dogs work out just the way
we should modify our people work out depending on the conditions.
All right, they would go the full hour and it
(24:00):
would be dangerous, just like it would for us. So
like my dogs, Selly and Jetty every now and again,
you got to modify your workouts. When it's cooler out,
I'm gonna go a little longer with them, but I'm
gonna modify it. I'm gonna give them rest breaks. So
you gotta change things around. Sounds crazy, but it's not
all right. And that goes to intensity too. As I
was just saying, So you change the duration, you maybe
(24:22):
go a little shorter, and maybe the intensity okay, you
go a little easier. Whatever you're doing, you have to
now again, for those of you who are listening and
you are super high competitive people and you're gonna be
performing at that high level, yes, you gotta train in
the oppressive heat because you may be doing that and
(24:44):
maybe that's exactly what you're training for. But even so,
you can't do it every time. So a big part
of getting acclimated to the heat, if that's something you're
gonna be competing in, you can't go hard every day.
You actually have to go easy pretty much of the time.
So that intense stuff, you're still going to modify it, okay.
And then finally when it comes to modifying your workout,
(25:05):
maybe you change the mode. Okay. Maybe if you are
a runner, you say I'm gonna go bike. I do
this all the time because biking, you got that wind,
it's gonna be cooler, it's not as hard. You're supported.
Maybe you swim maybe you know, if you are, I
don't know, You're you're gonna play tennis with a friend.
Maybe you just go for a walk, so you do something,
(25:27):
but you modify it because I can't tell you how
many shows and how many times I'm gonna talk to
you about variation. There was another study to just game
out and be Berfoot, great article editor of Runners World
way back when I think he's still editor at large
one the boss of Marathon. But it was just another
study that he talked about all about variation and just
the importance of it on so many levels. So you
(25:49):
don't say, well, I'm not gonna go do my tennis
match because it's ninety all right, No, I'm sorry. You
can say I'm not gonna do the tennis match, but
you're gonna do something else. You say, hey, if you're
playing double, as you say to those three other people,
let's go for let's go for a walk, let's mix
it up, all right, So change and modify that workout.
And what's tied into that is number six. And that's
(26:09):
forget your metrics. You know, yes, fitness technology is is
a great thing. Your step counter, your heart rate, you're pacing,
you know exactly how fast, how far, at what intensity,
and then it tells you how many hours. If you're
wearing one of these fancy watches, you know, or trackers
are using your phone. How many hours you have to
(26:30):
ideally recover? Well, guess what. When it is brutally hot
out and humid, many times it is a great idea.
Just don't even wear the watch, don't look at your
step counter, just do the workout. Just get out. It's
just checking it off. Okay, checking it off that you
did something because you're not gonna run is fast. And
(26:52):
when I used to coach runners and try athletes and
people like that, and people who were tracking different metrics,
they would get down on themselves in the heat. They go,
you're not you can't beat the heat. It's like the
fourth time I have said it. And and here's the physiology.
When you exercise in the heat, your body, your blood
(27:13):
is trying to do two things and they're competing and
they are not a good competition. So your blood goes
to your skin to help cool yourself down through sweating
and evaporation, and it needs to go to your working muscles,
and that competition is not good. So your heart rate
is going to be higher and you're not going to
(27:35):
perform as well. So you just have to let it
go and go Okay, if I'm normally running a ten
minute mile. Let's know, let's say say you're fast. I
say you're running in a eight minute mile well on
a hot day, and you still want to get that
workout in, and you're going out earlier in the morning,
but it's still kind of hot. You go, okay, I'm
just gonna run. I'm not even gonna look at my pace.
So let the metrics go forget your normal metrics, even steps,
(27:59):
all those things like I talked about in modifying your routine,
less intense, shorter duration. Don't worry about the numbers. The
only number that counts is that you did something that
you were active. All right. Now, let's get into some
fun stuff. So number seven, if you are someone who
is bringing a water bottle, if it's a walk or run,
(28:22):
or a bike ride, or you're playing tennis or golfing
for a really long time, freeze it the night before.
Freeze it the night before. So when I first started
doing Iron Man races, this is how long ago it
was we had to you have to leave your bike.
You still do the night before at most races, the
big races, right, and you leave it overnight. Now, back
when I was doing them like Iron Man, Germany and
(28:43):
races like that. You had to leave everything, so, in
other words, you couldn't get to your bike or your
bags in the morning, so all your stuff, all your gels,
your fluids, everything had to be there twenty four hours
prior and you had to leave it, which is insane
for people who are just racing today, because your water bottles,
your goose, your power gaels, they baked in the sun
and come race time they could be disgusting. Now they
(29:06):
have since changed the rules, but because we had to
deal with that, we have little tips and tricks. And
I used to use Insure as my main source of
fuel back then, and with the sports strings as well,
freeze it rock solid so by the time we got
on the bike or by the time you got to
your gaels during the run, they had thought out just enough.
(29:26):
So you can do this too with your walks. If
you're going out, if you know it's gonna be hot,
you've got a long walk with a friend, you've got
a long tennis match or golf game. As I said,
freeze that water bottle, take it out a couple of
hours before, try to time it so that it's thawing
out when you start and it serves two purposes. Not
only is it gonna be nice and cold when you
need it, but when you hold it. If you're a
(29:48):
walker or a runner, that cold bottle in your hand
is going to help cool your core temperature. And I
switched it back and forth, palm to palm, So just
holding it is going to help keep you cool. So
just a little tip, and a lot of the top
endurance athletes will do things like this. And again it
(30:09):
seems so insignificant. Perhaps it is not makes a big
difference mentally and physically. You're super hot, you go, oh,
just holding onto it just feels great. All right. Now
here's the one, the controversial tip that I told you,
well known writer, fitness writer, well known publication years ago.
(30:30):
So don't dump water on your head. Don't dump water
in your head because it actually makes you hotter, because
it prevents cooling. It prevents the evaporation. Now, this is
the problem. There's always a tiny bit of truth in that. Yes,
if the water doesn't evaporate from your body, that's how
you get cool. Is your sweat evaporating? I say, every
drop of sweat that hits the ground is a drop
of sweatwisted but that doesn't mean you can't pour water
(30:52):
in your head, that doesn't mean you can't cool yourself down. Again,
I will constantly go back to the extremes and the
people who need to make a living doing this. What
do you see during these endurance events, people dumping water
on their head, constantly, their entire body, their shoes. I
had to train myself over the years. I hated running
in wet sneakers, and I got to the point when
(31:13):
I started doing these super you know, hot endurance events.
There was one race when I bent over to dump
water in my head and a well meaning volunteer dumped
an entire bucket of water over my entire body. Sneakers
were soaking wet for the rest of the race, and
I was bummed, But I said, you know what, I
kind of learned how to do this. So dumping water
on your head, cooling your body temperature physiologically, psychologically feels good.
(31:38):
I'm in favor of it. Unlike that writer. Okay, and
then number nine it goes to the water bottle. But
if you're not a water bottle person and you are
doing an event or somewhere where there's ice, now again,
you may just run into a gas station and they
may have ice. But if it's super hot, and again,
maybe you're doing an event or you're playing tennis holding ice.
(32:01):
If you're not doing the frozen bottle, you can use ice.
So if ice is available, holding it in your hands,
even for like a minute or so, can just make
a world of difference. Feels good, cools you down, switch
it back and forth, put it on the back of
your neck, all right, And I'm gonna hold off on
a story that's tied into this to to bring it
(32:22):
all home. Story I have with ice and a hat,
and it's a little tip two goes into that one,
but I'm gonna hold off on that one. And then finally,
the power of the mind. The power of the mind
think cold thoughts. I had to include this. You know,
when my kids are playing hockey and I'm in a
cold ice rink, I am like remembering this feeling of
(32:43):
what it's like to be cold in that cold ice rink.
And then when I'm doing a hot race, hot event,
or I'm out just training running outside, I put myself
back in that position, back in the hockey rink. The
power of the mind. Again, this is so much of
what I do. And what I have studied sports psychology,
(33:05):
So what the mind perceives the body believes. So when
you are in that hot environment and you are trying
to do everything possible physically to get yourself cool, do
it mentally as well. Picture yourself in a freezing cold place.
(33:25):
That mental tip. Those mental tools can go really really far,
all right, and vice versa. If you're in a really
cold place. When I'm in the hockey rink and I
want to feel warmer, I'll do the opposite. Suddenly I'm
back racing in Hawaii or South Korea. All right. Alright,
(33:46):
final little tip, so goes to the ice. Little story,
bring it all home, Run to the Sun. One of
the greatest races I ever did. I don't think it
exists anymore. It was put on by the Hawaii Ultra
Running team. One of the greatest acronyms for a team hurt.
They had great T shirts. So I was visiting Hawaii
(34:07):
with my wife before we had kids, and it was,
as I've said before, I tried to instill do you know,
my passion is my vocation. So we were taking a trip.
But while we were there, yes, I was also going
to run this incredible race. And by the way, I
had done so many races up to that point that
my wife didn't even get up for this. She's like,
and we started super early. I think I had to
(34:28):
get there at four am or something. Not that my
wife didn't care. She just you know, it was vacation
for her, so she was gonna stay in bed. I
was gonna do this ultra and then we'd meet for
brunch after. So it was thirty six mile run from
sea level to the ten thousand foot summit of Mount
holy Akola on MAUI amazing, ran through the clouds, just incredible,
but it was hot, and we actually ran through a
(34:51):
bunch of different conditions like cold, hot, you know. Very
unique race. But at the time, I was sponsored by
power Bar. I was on the power Bar Team Elite,
and I would run with a hat because I was
always hot. And what I would do is I would
put ice into the hat. It was a performance hat,
and then I would put the hat back on my head.
The ice would sit on my head and cool me down.
(35:12):
So yet another tip, right, if you are doing these
extreme type of things or you just really need to
cool yourself down ice in that performance had I told
you about on your head for a little while. That
will work wonders at cooling you down. So this was
the first race I had run as a power Bar
Team Elite athlete, but with a visor. So long story short,
(35:34):
I'm at about mile twenty six seven. I'm getting up
into altitude. I've never done altitude before. I am not
doing well. Actually I was doing really well, and then
the altitude really started to kick in. And uh, it
was my first time and it didn't matter. I'm not
good at altitude. I found at this race. So as
I'm slowing down, I'm running to this aid station. I'm
(35:56):
starting to lose my mind. And there was a young
in and woman and manning the aid station. They said,
what do you need? And I said, I just need
some ice, and they're like sure. They gave me a
cup of ice. I take off my visor, I dump
the ice right through it. I put the visor back
on my head and I go off running. I hear
them laugh, and I hear them radio ahead and say, yeah,
you better look out for a number four eight one.
(36:17):
He's uh, he's kind of losing his mind. I was
just so used to doing it with a hat. I
wasn't used to the visor, but it made a huge
difference when I was wearing a hat. So there you go.
Ten tips. I love it. I love getting out in
the heat. I love exercising in the summer. You can too.
And I just as I started the show by saying,
it always has to be about being smart and about
(36:40):
being safe. But if you're going to be outside and
you do all of these things, you will you will
be as good as you could be. You know, be smart,
as I said in the number one tip. When you
can and it's really really bad outside, stay indoors. Good
advice regardless, and then just modify. Do all these little
tips to keep you hydrated, to keep you cooler, and
(37:02):
to keep you safe and to keep you healthy because
we want to move every day, we want to mix
it up, and we want to have fun. So there
you have it. Ten tips for exercising in the heat.
Hope you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed laughing at
my expense with the visor and the ice. Just great experiences.
You you will learn from all of my mistakes and
(37:24):
missteps and just and I loved all of them. By
the way, thank you so much for listening. Please rate
the show. It takes like a second. Just rate it.
Just rate the show. Please subscribe as well, and tell
your friends, Tell your friends listen. I'm gonna give you
the latest, greatest research, the latest guests, the best stuff.
And yes, a lot of times I know people say, oh,
(37:45):
that's so basic and simple. That's what works people. But
here's the opposite side of that. You have so many
people trying to sell you, so many complex gadgets and
gizmos and routines and expensive diets and things like that.
Not me. I'm just gonna give you the solid advice,
the stuff that's worked for me, the stuff that worked
(38:06):
for my clients, the stuff that I studied and continue
to study. And if you do this, I promise you
will change your life for the better. Not a question,
a guarantee you take the advice given in this show.
I guarantee it, but you gotta give it time and
you gotta believe it, and then you'll see the results.
Thank you for listening. You can reach out to me,
(38:28):
by the way, Tom h Fit is my Twitter as
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You can see more about the show and me there
(38:48):
as well, and reach out to me through that site
as well. Thank you for listening. Be smart, be safe,
and remember there are three things we all have ultimate
control over how much we move, what we put into
our mouths, and our attitude. And I say it every
show because that is awesome. I'm Tom Holland. This is
(39:13):
Fitness Disrupted. Believe in yourself. Fitness Disrupted is a production
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of I Heart Radio.
I am Tom Holland and this is Fitness Disrupted. Ten
tips for exercising in the heat. Yes, it is that
time of year. It is currently July. It is hot outside.
(00:24):
I am actually recording this show as we speak at
about seven o'clock at night, and I'm getting ready to
run when it's over, and that will be one of
my tips. But yes, this is a common topic, but
for good reason. And of the ten tips I'm going
to give you, I see people violating them every day.
And we are in unique times because as I record
(00:46):
this as well, we're still in the middle of the
covid uh covid issues right, the covid epidemic, whatever you
wanna call it. And there are more people exercising outside
than ever before in my entire lifetime. I have spent
my lifetime either in gyms or exercising outdoors, and the
majority being outdoors. And this is these are just unique times.
(01:10):
I've said it before. It's kind of like when I
go out for a bike or a run, it's like
a really poorly put together triathlon. There are people on
the wrong side of the road, walking, biking, you know,
pushing kids, biking with kids, and that's awesome, but I'm
gonna give you tips because again, many of those people
(01:30):
are doing things that are potentially dangerous and and you know,
the two things I'm gonna talk about is you want
to be smart and you want to be safe. You
want to be smart and safe, and I talk about
frequently on this show. My job is to get you
the greatest results in the shortest amount of time with
the least likelihood of injury. And that least likelihood of injury,
it's not just for strength training and pulling muscles and
(01:51):
and things like that, but it's also for cardiovascular I mean,
that's the heart is a really important muscle. And heat
can be really challenging and you have to uh, you
have to know what you're doing and you have to um.
It's the word I'm looking for. You have to respect
the heat because you can't beat the heat, but you
(02:14):
can do many things to make it affect you less.
And how do we know this We always learn from
what yes research, but the extremes, right, And that's what
I'm gonna talk about to start us off, because Hawaii
iron Man, the Bad Water Ultra Marathon, many of those
studies study those people, and so you know, one of
(02:38):
the greatest ways to see what works is not necessarily
the research all the world always gonna look at that,
but it's from people who literally need to win a
race to feed their families. They will do whatever they
learn works to get them to the finish line first.
And that is really really important knowledge and information for
(03:00):
us to look at. And when these people who are
doing it for a living to feed their families, to
make ends meet for their paycheck, and they start to
do things in these extreme environments, whether it's nutrition or
gear or training or what they do in the heat,
we have to look at those things and see what
(03:20):
patterns and what works and what doesn't. Okay. So that
is one great resource that we have when we are
looking at a topic like this, Okay. And my personal
experience is part of all of this as well. I
have been very fortunate to travel the world racing and
competing and pushing my body. Talk about like I'm all
(03:42):
about experiences and the fitness experiences, and I have raced
in some really brutal conditions when it comes to the heat.
Iron Man Malaysia it was a hundred and three degrees,
upper nineties percent humidity, one of the hot Malaysia. It was.
(04:02):
It was Malaysia. That's all that needs to be said.
I also did iron Man's in China. I went to
South Korea twice. Not as brutal as Malaysia, but pretty
darn close. I did an ultra marathon. I will end
the show by talking about on Hawaii. I did the
Hawaii iron Man. So I have learned through trial and
error along with my studies, how it feels, what works
(04:24):
for me, what I've seen other athletes do, and gonna
take all of that. We put all of that together,
and one of the specific tips I'm gonna give you
was totally said to not be true, to actually be
the opposite by a very well known writer. Again I
don't need and I don't name names, but ridiculous. I'm
gonna be leave it. It It was ridiculous. It was ridiculous.
(04:46):
And contrary. It was you know, something that got a
lot of press for this article about like what you
should never do in the heat, and it's something people
do frequently. And I would argue that the writer not
had no experience in that field, you know, has read articles,
has looked at some research and then just wanted to
go to the contrary. And that's dangerous when we're talking
about a topic like this. But we're gonna get into
(05:08):
all that, all right. So ten tips that you can
employ right away that will really not only keep you
safe but maximize your enjoyment when you are and if
you are exercising outside. All right, So quick break when
we come back, let's get right to a ten tips
for exercising in the heat. All right, great topic. I
(05:40):
have to say. Also, I loved and and continue to
love exercising in the heat more so than the cold,
and I've done both. Uh, And as I've gotten older,
the heat has started to affect me more. And that's
generally you know, Uh, we recover slower and our bodies
changes we get older. But by large, if you give
(06:01):
me two extremes, I will take the heat any day
of the week. And one of the reasons is because
I have so much experience in doing it. I like
that feeling the cold. Just I can't do a triathlon anymore.
If I get out of the water and it's it's
under sixty degrees, I just don't want to do it.
So I'm genetically I would argue a little better than
(06:23):
than the average person at exercising in the heat. But
then again, I've taken that an experience and trial and narrow.
Let me tell you as well, I've made the mistakes.
You'll learn really quickly. But we take the research, we
take the anecdotal, we take common sense. We put it
all together. So let's just start number one, common sense
when in doubt, when you can, if it is a
(06:45):
brutally hot day, brutally humid day, stay indoors. I mean
that is like the most common sense of go first. One.
We can't avoid that tip. If you can stay inside
and get your work out in, then do it. Okay,
if you have a treadmill, if you have an elliptical
and you want to go outside for a walk, and
that's your normal routine or a run, and it's brutal
(07:09):
as temperatures are higher than they've ever begun. I'm in Connecticut,
but I'm oftentimes speaking with someone from Florida, Arizona, Texas,
places where the temperature gets like ludicrously up into the hundreds.
When in doubt, when you can get your work out inside,
have to start with that. And if you have the
cardio equipment. Great, if you don't, you can get a
(07:31):
great workout in with just body weight cardio as well.
You can jump rope inside. You can do whatever you
need to do that you enjoy. Jumping jacks. You can
do a circuit of skaters and jumping jacks and running
in place and burpies. You can do cardio only with
no equipment if you want to. And then if you say,
(07:51):
you know what, I don't want to do those exercises,
well then you stay indoors and you switch the routine up. Okay,
but when doubt when you can just stay indoors. And
it's totally different than it was years ago. Now there's
all this content. You can find a video and just
search out cardio workouts. I did a bunch myself for
many one company in particular. Uh and so the content
(08:15):
is there so you can stay inside. You can stay safe.
As I was talking about at the start, be smart,
be safe, because you don't want to injure yourself. You know,
you can push yourself way too hard. It's it's the
whole topic of this show, and you want to avoid that.
You have to be smart and be safe. Okay, So
if you can and you want to and you have
(08:35):
the equipment, or you're up for a workout inside with
just body weight jump rope again something like that, then
you do that first and foremost. Okay, then number two.
If you say, well, I don't really want to do that.
I really love running outside and maybe you don't have
a treadmill or you don't want to be inside, well,
then the time of day that goes without saying too. Right.
(08:57):
So if you say I need to get outside, I
want to get out side, well, then try to avoid
the hottest time of day. And generally speaking, again depends
upon where you live. But let's say I used to
say tended to, but let's say nine to four in
in many places, So get up early, get up early,
(09:19):
or if you're not that person, then like I'm gonna
do tonight. It's kind of great to run in the
evening too. I mean, I love my morning workouts. I
love when the world has just waken up and and
you know, I remember coaching people from Florida and when
they were, you know, in their marathon training groups, they
(09:39):
would oftentimes get up at like four thirty and get
out and actually that brings up memory I did the
Honolulu Marathon in December many years ago, and I can't
remember exactly, but it started at like I want to say,
five thirty in the morning. It was it was ridiculously
early because it was so hot and and they wanted
(10:00):
us to be done before the hottest time of day.
So you need to take that into account too, So
don't go out at noon if you can avoid it.
And that's one problem I see right now with COVID.
I see so many people out, you know, pushing it
at really hot times a day, and a lot of
times with your kids. Now kids are more resilient, I
(10:22):
get it, but again, be smart, be safe. That goes
with it, should go without saying okay. So number three
now we're getting so we're talking about you stay indoors
if you can. If you're gonna go out, pick the
smarter times of day, less hot, humid, earlier or later.
And now let's get into what you're gonna do. You know,
hydration wise and food wise. Hydration is super important, so
(10:46):
much confusion. I'm not gonna get deep into it, but
you want to be hydrated, and generally speaking, that means
somewhere like eight to ten ounces of fluid water or
a sports drink like ten to fifteen minutes before into
twenty minutes before, you know, get some fluid into your system.
And then I do see and I like this. I
(11:06):
see people now all the time walking holding water bottles.
Smart and you don't need an enormous one unless you're
going for a really really long walk, but bringing a
water bottle with you, and again that can be water
or a sports drink that is smart. Okay, uh, one
thing you don't want to do and I don't you know,
(11:27):
we don't have to go deep into this either. But
there is something called hypone a treatma that is water intoxication. Okay,
that's where you take in too much water, and that's
generally marathons, longer events. There's a whole host of things
that come together to create that um specific issue. But
like everything else, moderation don't overdo anything, and that goes
(11:48):
with water and fluids as well. So again, roughly eight
to ten ounces of a fluid roughly ten to twenty
minutes before you go out for a really hot workout.
And again that maybe a walk, a run, a bike ride,
and if you can and it's gonna be hot and
you're gonna be out for a while. Bringing water and
(12:10):
or that sports drink with you is a great idea
as well. Let me say this, I always bring money
with me. Now if I'm going out for a bike ride,
generally that's longer, but even my longer runs I bring.
I have multiple ways of carrying fluids. I have handhelds
uh so a bottle in each hand. It's a little
glove type thing that slides over your hand, and you
have a water bottle. And in that water bottle holder,
(12:32):
there's also generally or usually a little pocket where you
can put your keys and money and things like that.
Uh I used to think, as maybe some of you
do who haven't tried it, like oh my gosh, that
must be so heavy and why would you hold anything
in your hands. I was shocked when I finally got
around to trying it many years ago. Totally works for me.
So let me just give you an example. If I'm
(12:54):
going for a hour and a half run, I will
have a water bottle or you, and then I will
run and do an out and back course where the
turnaround is a gas station. I have money. I finished
the water bottles before then I refill with water or
a sports drink at the gas station and I turned
around and run back. And I always try to keep
(13:16):
the money as dry as possible, so I put it
in that handheld they used to put in my shorts.
And as I've talked about another show's t M I,
but I sweat like crazy and it was always embarrassing
to kind of put the you know, soaking wet ten
dollar bill on the table. Some of you know exactly
what I'm talking about, and you just tell the person
behind the counter just wait, you know, wait an hour
before you pick that up because it's covered in sweat.
(13:38):
But be smart. So depending on how much you sweat,
how long your workout is gonna be again, hydrate before
consider bringing stuff with you. And if you're going out
for a long period of time, that could be a
long walk with a friend too. If you're doing a
two hour people are doing, you know now with COVID,
I know a bunch of people who are doing, like,
you know, thirteen mile walks, half marathons and marathons with
friends just to get out and just to get a
(13:59):
work out in uh. I also will along my route
find you know, like water fountains and refill there. So
that is a consideration. But as always, don't overdo it
and let me just throw in here. When it's super
hot out. Now, this is highly individual. Eating too much
before can be an issue for a lot of people.
So if it's gonna be a super hot day and
(14:20):
you're going out for a workout, be careful what you
put in your stomach because the heat can make that
uh you know, can make you nauseous in a different way. Again,
a lot going on there depends on the person. But
something to think about alright. Number four super important, And
this has changed so much over the years since I
started clothing. Clothing, clothing, clothing. Please, I've said this for
(14:43):
decades now, don't go out when it's degrees in your
thick cotton you know college shirt that is just that
you love, but that just doesn't wick the sweat away
and just become soaking wet, and we'll just serve to
make you hotter. The performance fibers they have now for
(15:04):
clothing is crazy. I have some shirts from actually Brazil
with another hot race I did iron in Brazil. I
don't know what this fabric is, but it is the lightest,
coolest fabric I've ever felt. It is like so paper thin,
but then it's strong. So lightweight clothing that wicks the
(15:26):
moisture away from your body, right, that doesn't just sit
heavy on your body. And you want to try to
wear a lighter collar. Don't go out in all black
that you know will absorb the heat, especially when it's thinner,
and it's gonna keep that heat next to your body.
So lightweight clothing, light colors, and then hats or advisor.
(15:46):
So many people say, well, if I wear a hat,
it's going to trap the heat in my head. Well,
you're not wearing a wool cap, which I see people
wearing in the gym, and I always wonder why you
wearing al that's obviously for a fashion statement. But you
know there are perform men's fiber hats and visors now,
and that's something again if you look at endurance races,
most people are doing that because you don't want the
(16:08):
sun beating down on your head. So I would even
say that performance hat from for many people is advisable
over the visor. But even the visor is gonna help.
It's gonna keep that sun off your face. And if
you're squinting for you know, a long period of time outside,
that's gonna add to your just fatigue. So lightweight clothing,
light colors, hat or advisor to keep the sun off
(16:31):
your face. And no, it's not going to trap heat.
One thing that may be counterintuitive, and you can go
back and forth and debate this, but guys, not always
a great idea or not a great idea to go
shirtless because the sun is beating down on your body.
You have no protection against the sun. Now, if it's
something you enjoy and you're fine with it. And I
(16:51):
know a lot of the cross country guys, I mean
they don't wear a shirt in December. They never wear shirts.
I think the only time they wear shirts are the
single it's during races, right, Uh. But it's a consideration,
not a great idea to have your entire upper body
of skin exposed to the direct sunlight that's coming down
and just you know, burning you up while you are
(17:13):
out for your workout, whether that's a walk or run
or whatever you're doing. Even I see people biking without it.
You know, have that protection of a thin layer of
a performance fiber against the sun. And let me say
this little tip, little track again, the mistakes you learn
in racing if you're putting sunscreen on and Let's say
you're going out for a bike, ride or run or walk, whatever,
(17:34):
be careful don't put too much, if any, on your
forehead above your eyes, because what happens. Many of you
have had this unpleasant experience, especially if you're biking. You
start to sweat and it mixes with the suntane lotion,
and what happens. It goes right into your eyes and
then you can't see. And if you're biking fast, that
can be a problem, So be careful with that. There's
(17:56):
different types of sunscreens you can try, but oh, we
especially if you are someone who is competing. These are
things and these are the reasons why we talk about
don't try anything in a race for the first time.
Try it in training and do so when you can, uh,
you know, modify your workout so you're not going too hard. Um.
(18:17):
And then one last one I want to throw in there,
and I did this with a client we were doing
the Boston Marathon. I was pacing him through that. Just
at a podcast about that. It's my train by Tom story,
my short story, my Boston Marathon story if you want
to listen to that little fun anecdote. But gentlemen, was
we were going to do the marathon, or we were
doing the marathon two thousand twelve, brutally hot, and you
(18:39):
know I needed to keep him cool for the race.
So one thing we did do is we had a
bandana that we would drop in the ice buckets at
all the eight stations. Whenever we could, would put it
around his neck. So a cold bandanna around what they
consider a hot spot to cool down your core temperature.
All right, So just in the clothing department, you know,
if you're a hiker, hennis player, even whatever you're doing outside.
(19:03):
This doesn't just mean runners and bikers. I just you know,
I can't throw in all the sports. But uh, you know,
having a wet bandanna and putting it around your neck
or or something like a bandana gator type thing, good idea.
And a lot of this is psychological, by the way,
physiological and psychological. Whatever works, doesn't matter if it's one
or the other. Generally it's often both. And that's huge,
(19:26):
all right. You know what one final break when we
were almost halfway through, and when we come back, we're
gonna get about five more. All right, But all great
things again, if you're golfing, if you're just whatever, you're
doing outside, I want you to enjoy it more. I
want you to be safe. And if you're someone who's performing,
if you're a golfer, a tennis player, you know, bite whatever,
(19:49):
and you want to even perform better. All of these
things make a difference. But they're all great ideas regardless,
because again, we want to be as safe and as
healthy as possible. All right, final break. When we come back,
five or six more tips for exercising safely and enjoyably
in the heat, we'll be right back. I have to
(20:18):
say that, yes, many of these things are common sense,
but that's fitness, and that's health, and that's nutrition. But
we have to go over and over and over them
because unfortunately, many people just don't do it. And it's
the little things. I will say this so often on
Fitness Disrupted. It's the little things that make all the difference.
It's the little things done consistently that make all the difference.
(20:42):
And it's what you do in practice that makes all
the difference. I say this to my kids all the time,
and I did the show. Practice doesn't make perfect perfect,
practice makes perfect, Okay, So all of these things will
help you enjoy or outdoor workouts in the heat. And
let me say this too, we can't always exercise when
(21:05):
it's perfect. So people go, oh, it's too cold, it's
too hot, it's rainy, it's it's cloudy. I don't feel
you know. One of the reasons I had success in
one of the reasons my clients who were successful at
at racing and those type of events, or because you
do it in all the conditions, you do it regardless.
(21:25):
The only time I don't really train is thunder and
a crazy storm where I can get hurt, but I'm
always safe. But I don't, you know, not go for
a run because it's raining, or you know, you do
the workouts because there's always a reason. There will always
be an environmental reason or something else to not do it.
And if you are someone who's competing, inevitably on race day,
(21:46):
something like that could happen. I never checked the weather
other than to see what I'm gonna wear for that race.
But I've trained in everything, and my clients have trained
in everything, and you have to train in life the
same way. There will always be obstacle. If we only
exercise on the perfect weather day, it's not gonna work.
It's not gonna work, all right, So that's something that
(22:07):
has to be set uh, because there's always a reason
to not do it, and the weather is an easy
one depending on where you live. Right, all right, we
are on number five. Now, this one's uh, They're all important,
but this one especially for the those of you who
are exercisers, and this can be difficult. You got to
modify your workout. So in other words, if you especially
(22:30):
if you have a schedule and you go, okay, today's
the day I go out and run six miles or
I bike, uh, you know, twenty miles, or I have
a tennis match, and the expectations are such even back
to the Boston Marathon story, that is exactly what we
did that morning of and the night before even I said,
we're modifying our goals because I knew it was going
(22:51):
to be in the nineties. And you can't beat the heat.
So if you have to, if you have a specific
workout out, whether it's duration or pace anything like that,
you've got to modify the workout. So duration is super important.
Right if you normally go for your hour long walk
with a friend and the conditions are just just really
(23:16):
harsh to heat, the humidity you may have to go shorter.
You don't have to. You don't have to. You know,
say we're not going but you say, you know what,
we're going for a half hour. And you know what
a great example of this is for me my two dogs.
My two dogs, every morning we go out for that
hard uh got the chuck it and they swim every
day and I throw the ball. They're doing interval training
(23:38):
and crazy they expect it. Every day. In the winter
we're out for like an hour. In the summer, we're
out for like half an hour because they don't want
to not run. But dogs don't cool themselves very well.
So I modify my dogs work out just the way
we should modify our people work out depending on the conditions.
All right, they would go the full hour and it
(24:00):
would be dangerous, just like it would for us. So
like my dogs, Selly and Jetty every now and again,
you got to modify your workouts. When it's cooler out,
I'm gonna go a little longer with them, but I'm
gonna modify it. I'm gonna give them rest breaks. So
you gotta change things around. Sounds crazy, but it's not
all right. And that goes to intensity too. As I
was just saying, So you change the duration, you maybe
(24:22):
go a little shorter, and maybe the intensity okay, you
go a little easier. Whatever you're doing, you have to
now again, for those of you who are listening and
you are super high competitive people and you're gonna be
performing at that high level, yes, you gotta train in
the oppressive heat because you may be doing that and
(24:44):
maybe that's exactly what you're training for. But even so,
you can't do it every time. So a big part
of getting acclimated to the heat, if that's something you're
gonna be competing in, you can't go hard every day.
You actually have to go easy pretty much of the time.
So that intense stuff, you're still going to modify it, okay.
And then finally when it comes to modifying your workout,
(25:05):
maybe you change the mode. Okay. Maybe if you are
a runner, you say I'm gonna go bike. I do
this all the time because biking, you got that wind,
it's gonna be cooler, it's not as hard. You're supported.
Maybe you swim maybe you know, if you are, I
don't know, You're you're gonna play tennis with a friend.
Maybe you just go for a walk, so you do something,
(25:27):
but you modify it because I can't tell you how
many shows and how many times I'm gonna talk to
you about variation. There was another study to just game
out and be Berfoot, great article editor of Runners World
way back when I think he's still editor at large
one the boss of Marathon. But it was just another
study that he talked about all about variation and just
the importance of it on so many levels. So you
(25:49):
don't say, well, I'm not gonna go do my tennis
match because it's ninety all right, No, I'm sorry. You
can say I'm not gonna do the tennis match, but
you're gonna do something else. You say, hey, if you're
playing double, as you say to those three other people,
let's go for let's go for a walk, let's mix
it up, all right, So change and modify that workout.
And what's tied into that is number six. And that's
(26:09):
forget your metrics. You know, yes, fitness technology is is
a great thing. Your step counter, your heart rate, you're pacing,
you know exactly how fast, how far, at what intensity,
and then it tells you how many hours. If you're
wearing one of these fancy watches, you know, or trackers
are using your phone. How many hours you have to
(26:30):
ideally recover? Well, guess what. When it is brutally hot
out and humid, many times it is a great idea.
Just don't even wear the watch, don't look at your
step counter, just do the workout. Just get out. It's
just checking it off. Okay, checking it off that you
did something because you're not gonna run is fast. And
(26:52):
when I used to coach runners and try athletes and
people like that, and people who were tracking different metrics,
they would get down on themselves in the heat. They go,
you're not you can't beat the heat. It's like the
fourth time I have said it. And and here's the physiology.
When you exercise in the heat, your body, your blood
(27:13):
is trying to do two things and they're competing and
they are not a good competition. So your blood goes
to your skin to help cool yourself down through sweating
and evaporation, and it needs to go to your working muscles,
and that competition is not good. So your heart rate
is going to be higher and you're not going to
(27:35):
perform as well. So you just have to let it
go and go Okay, if I'm normally running a ten
minute mile. Let's know, let's say say you're fast. I
say you're running in a eight minute mile well on
a hot day, and you still want to get that
workout in, and you're going out earlier in the morning,
but it's still kind of hot. You go, okay, I'm
just gonna run. I'm not even gonna look at my pace.
So let the metrics go forget your normal metrics, even steps,
(27:59):
all those things like I talked about in modifying your routine,
less intense, shorter duration. Don't worry about the numbers. The
only number that counts is that you did something that
you were active. All right. Now, let's get into some
fun stuff. So number seven, if you are someone who
is bringing a water bottle, if it's a walk or run,
(28:22):
or a bike ride, or you're playing tennis or golfing
for a really long time, freeze it the night before.
Freeze it the night before. So when I first started
doing Iron Man races, this is how long ago it
was we had to you have to leave your bike.
You still do the night before at most races, the
big races, right, and you leave it overnight. Now, back
when I was doing them like Iron Man, Germany and
(28:43):
races like that. You had to leave everything, so, in
other words, you couldn't get to your bike or your
bags in the morning, so all your stuff, all your gels,
your fluids, everything had to be there twenty four hours
prior and you had to leave it, which is insane
for people who are just racing today, because your water bottles,
your goose, your power gaels, they baked in the sun
and come race time they could be disgusting. Now they
(29:06):
have since changed the rules, but because we had to
deal with that, we have little tips and tricks. And
I used to use Insure as my main source of
fuel back then, and with the sports strings as well,
freeze it rock solid so by the time we got
on the bike or by the time you got to
your gaels during the run, they had thought out just enough.
(29:26):
So you can do this too with your walks. If
you're going out, if you know it's gonna be hot,
you've got a long walk with a friend, you've got
a long tennis match or golf game. As I said,
freeze that water bottle, take it out a couple of
hours before, try to time it so that it's thawing
out when you start and it serves two purposes. Not
only is it gonna be nice and cold when you
need it, but when you hold it. If you're a
(29:48):
walker or a runner, that cold bottle in your hand
is going to help cool your core temperature. And I
switched it back and forth, palm to palm, So just
holding it is going to help keep you cool. So
just a little tip, and a lot of the top
endurance athletes will do things like this. And again it
(30:09):
seems so insignificant. Perhaps it is not makes a big
difference mentally and physically. You're super hot, you go, oh,
just holding onto it just feels great. All right. Now
here's the one, the controversial tip that I told you,
well known writer, fitness writer, well known publication years ago.
(30:30):
So don't dump water on your head. Don't dump water
in your head because it actually makes you hotter, because
it prevents cooling. It prevents the evaporation. Now, this is
the problem. There's always a tiny bit of truth in that. Yes,
if the water doesn't evaporate from your body, that's how
you get cool. Is your sweat evaporating? I say, every
drop of sweat that hits the ground is a drop
of sweatwisted but that doesn't mean you can't pour water
(30:52):
in your head, that doesn't mean you can't cool yourself down. Again,
I will constantly go back to the extremes and the
people who need to make a living doing this. What
do you see during these endurance events, people dumping water
on their head, constantly, their entire body, their shoes. I
had to train myself over the years. I hated running
in wet sneakers, and I got to the point when
(31:13):
I started doing these super you know, hot endurance events.
There was one race when I bent over to dump
water in my head and a well meaning volunteer dumped
an entire bucket of water over my entire body. Sneakers
were soaking wet for the rest of the race, and
I was bummed, But I said, you know what, I
kind of learned how to do this. So dumping water
on your head, cooling your body temperature physiologically, psychologically feels good.
(31:38):
I'm in favor of it. Unlike that writer. Okay, and
then number nine it goes to the water bottle. But
if you're not a water bottle person and you are
doing an event or somewhere where there's ice, now again,
you may just run into a gas station and they
may have ice. But if it's super hot, and again,
maybe you're doing an event or you're playing tennis holding ice.
(32:01):
If you're not doing the frozen bottle, you can use ice.
So if ice is available, holding it in your hands,
even for like a minute or so, can just make
a world of difference. Feels good, cools you down, switch
it back and forth, put it on the back of
your neck, all right, And I'm gonna hold off on
a story that's tied into this to to bring it
(32:22):
all home. Story I have with ice and a hat,
and it's a little tip two goes into that one,
but I'm gonna hold off on that one. And then finally,
the power of the mind. The power of the mind
think cold thoughts. I had to include this. You know,
when my kids are playing hockey and I'm in a
cold ice rink, I am like remembering this feeling of
(32:43):
what it's like to be cold in that cold ice rink.
And then when I'm doing a hot race, hot event,
or I'm out just training running outside, I put myself
back in that position, back in the hockey rink. The
power of the mind. Again, this is so much of
what I do. And what I have studied sports psychology,
(33:05):
So what the mind perceives the body believes. So when
you are in that hot environment and you are trying
to do everything possible physically to get yourself cool, do
it mentally as well. Picture yourself in a freezing cold place.
(33:25):
That mental tip. Those mental tools can go really really far,
all right, and vice versa. If you're in a really
cold place. When I'm in the hockey rink and I
want to feel warmer, I'll do the opposite. Suddenly I'm
back racing in Hawaii or South Korea. All right. Alright,
(33:46):
final little tip, so goes to the ice. Little story,
bring it all home, Run to the Sun. One of
the greatest races I ever did. I don't think it
exists anymore. It was put on by the Hawaii Ultra
Running team. One of the greatest acronyms for a team hurt.
They had great T shirts. So I was visiting Hawaii
(34:07):
with my wife before we had kids, and it was,
as I've said before, I tried to instill do you know,
my passion is my vocation. So we were taking a trip.
But while we were there, yes, I was also going
to run this incredible race. And by the way, I
had done so many races up to that point that
my wife didn't even get up for this. She's like,
and we started super early. I think I had to
(34:28):
get there at four am or something. Not that my
wife didn't care. She just you know, it was vacation
for her, so she was gonna stay in bed. I
was gonna do this ultra and then we'd meet for
brunch after. So it was thirty six mile run from
sea level to the ten thousand foot summit of Mount
holy Akola on MAUI amazing, ran through the clouds, just incredible,
but it was hot, and we actually ran through a
(34:51):
bunch of different conditions like cold, hot, you know. Very
unique race. But at the time, I was sponsored by
power Bar. I was on the power Bar Team Elite,
and I would run with a hat because I was
always hot. And what I would do is I would
put ice into the hat. It was a performance hat,
and then I would put the hat back on my head.
The ice would sit on my head and cool me down.
(35:12):
So yet another tip, right, if you are doing these
extreme type of things or you just really need to
cool yourself down ice in that performance had I told
you about on your head for a little while. That
will work wonders at cooling you down. So this was
the first race I had run as a power Bar
Team Elite athlete, but with a visor. So long story short,
(35:34):
I'm at about mile twenty six seven. I'm getting up
into altitude. I've never done altitude before. I am not
doing well. Actually I was doing really well, and then
the altitude really started to kick in. And uh, it
was my first time and it didn't matter. I'm not
good at altitude. I found at this race. So as
I'm slowing down, I'm running to this aid station. I'm
(35:56):
starting to lose my mind. And there was a young
in and woman and manning the aid station. They said,
what do you need? And I said, I just need
some ice, and they're like sure. They gave me a
cup of ice. I take off my visor, I dump
the ice right through it. I put the visor back
on my head and I go off running. I hear
them laugh, and I hear them radio ahead and say, yeah,
you better look out for a number four eight one.
(36:17):
He's uh, he's kind of losing his mind. I was
just so used to doing it with a hat. I
wasn't used to the visor, but it made a huge
difference when I was wearing a hat. So there you go.
Ten tips. I love it. I love getting out in
the heat. I love exercising in the summer. You can too.
And I just as I started the show by saying,
it always has to be about being smart and about
(36:40):
being safe. But if you're going to be outside and
you do all of these things, you will you will
be as good as you could be. You know, be smart,
as I said in the number one tip. When you
can and it's really really bad outside, stay indoors. Good
advice regardless, and then just modify. Do all these little
tips to keep you hydrated, to keep you cooler, and
(37:02):
to keep you safe and to keep you healthy because
we want to move every day, we want to mix
it up, and we want to have fun. So there
you have it. Ten tips for exercising in the heat.
Hope you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed laughing at
my expense with the visor and the ice. Just great experiences.
You you will learn from all of my mistakes and
(37:24):
missteps and just and I loved all of them. By
the way, thank you so much for listening. Please rate
the show. It takes like a second. Just rate it.
Just rate the show. Please subscribe as well, and tell
your friends, Tell your friends listen. I'm gonna give you
the latest, greatest research, the latest guests, the best stuff.
And yes, a lot of times I know people say, oh,
(37:45):
that's so basic and simple. That's what works people. But
here's the opposite side of that. You have so many
people trying to sell you, so many complex gadgets and
gizmos and routines and expensive diets and things like that.
Not me. I'm just gonna give you the solid advice,
the stuff that's worked for me, the stuff that worked
(38:06):
for my clients, the stuff that I studied and continue
to study. And if you do this, I promise you
will change your life for the better. Not a question,
a guarantee you take the advice given in this show.
I guarantee it, but you gotta give it time and
you gotta believe it, and then you'll see the results.
Thank you for listening. You can reach out to me,
(38:28):
by the way, Tom h Fit is my Twitter as
well as my Instagram. I love comments, questions, I love
it all, and I put it all into shows, every
single question, every topic that has been suggested to me
is making it into a show, so thank you for
that reach out. If you want to Fitness disrupted dot com.
You can see more about the show and me there
(38:48):
as well, and reach out to me through that site
as well. Thank you for listening. Be smart, be safe,
and remember there are three things we all have ultimate
control over how much we move, what we put into
our mouths, and our attitude. And I say it every
show because that is awesome. I'm Tom Holland. This is
(39:13):
Fitness Disrupted. Believe in yourself. Fitness Disrupted is a production
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
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