Working out in warmer weather requires a little more attention to your body. (Facebook/The S2DIO)

By Rob Mahon

Hot Workouts

Heat (and humidty) is on as local gyms deal with exercise in hot weather

Jul 13, 2022 | 12:00 PM

Just because the weather has been hotter doesn’t mean people are going to stop being active. In fact, some may even get more so. But there are some risks that come with that.

People working out in the hot weather need to watch for not only the heat but the humidity, and one local gym said the humidity is what really hits people this time of year.

“What gets us, where we struggled the last couple of weeks, is the humidity,” said Desiree Hesson, owner of The S2DIO in Prince Albert. “I’ve got 26 bikes in my little spin room so if we get into double digits, 10, 15, even up to 20 people in there, with the body heat and the breathing and moisture that’s in the air, the humidity is what gets us.”

Gyms will do what they can to mitigate that, with air conditioning and dehumidifiers, but according to Hesson, at a certain point, they’ve done all they can. From there, individual riders or lifters have to take some of their own precautions as well.

“You have to do your pre-hydration, during hydration, and post-hydration doing any workout,” said Hesson. “As long as you’re keeping hydrated and knowing your body.”

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Staying hydrated is a common piece of advice in a heat wave, but it’s common for a reason. One other thing to keep in mind, however, is how much you’re eating. When you sweat more or burn more energy, your food intake may need to increase to keep up.

“When we sweat, we’re sweating out a bunch of different stuff,” Hesson said. “Salt is a big one, you lose a lot of salt when you’re sweating. So definitely, ramping up your nutrition intake and maybe having a little bit more before or after a workout is going to help you.”

Hesson added some other tips for working out in hot weather as well. Wearing lighter clothing, or even taking a shirt off if you’re in a space where that is permitted can help. Having a cool-down towel prepared as well can also be a big boost. But perhaps the best advice for staying active in the heat is to listen to the messages your body is sending you.

“Don’t push yourself,” said Hesson. “If you’re feeling lightheaded or you’re feeling dizzy or something isn’t right, stop what you’re doing and evaluate what you’re doing, then go from there.”

The heat warning in effect for Prince Albert should end on Thursday but could return as quickly as Friday and Saturday.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP