Summer Fitness

The Heat Is On: 6 Tips for Summer Exercise

Summer's the time to flee the gym, but high temps make workouts tougher and more dangerous. These athlete-tested tricks will help you breeze through them
By Michelle Hamilton womenshealth
 

Chill Out

Before racing in the hot, humid conditions of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, marathoner Deena Kastor sat inside on cool concrete and wore an ice vest. This tactic, known as precooling, lowers your core body temperature to increase your endurance in the heat, says Bergeron. It worked for Kastor, now 39, who scored a bronze medal that day. Reap a similar effect by hanging in an air-conditioned room, taking a cold shower, or slurping a slushy before your workout: Australian researchers found that drinking the icy beverage an hour before exercise extended runners' duration.

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Use the same trick mid-workout too: A 2011 study found that placing ice on the neck lowered athletes' perceived thermal strain, meaning they didn't feel as hot and could exercise longer. Walsh and May-Treanor, for example, dip their hats into ice water and drape cold towels around their necks during water breaks. Or try this method from Georgia Gould, 32, a Luna Chix Pro Team mountain biker who trains in 90°F temps in Fort Collins, Colorado: Fill a bag with ice and tuck it into your sports bra between your shoulder blades (for however long you can stand it!).

The Best Sports Bra for Your Body
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