Hot season is coming
Suddenly, the hot season is creeping up on you. The nice warm temperatures 
from January are a thing of the past, and you can feel the stinging sun bringing the sweat to your skin. From one week to the next it is hot and humid and you don’t want to be outside more than you have to.
But then there are people who like to exercise outside or who need to train for competitions like marathons or maybe your trainer takes you outside to do some exercises because there isn’t so much space in your gym. However, the risks of heat exhaustion or heat stroke are especially high in Bangkok.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion can be a rapid pulse, low blood pressure, nausea, headache, dizziness, or weakness. This is all caused by the fact that the core body temperature rises higher than when training in cooler climate thus making you sweat more and eventually being dehydrated. The muscles can’t get enough energy and you feel tired. In case you keep pushing yourself, the heat exhaustion can lead to a heat stroke with symptoms like mental confusion, loss of consciousness or collapsing. If left untreated, a heat stroke can ultimately lead to death.
However, the good news is, there are ways to stay fit and healthy without the side effect of dying. First of all, the body can adapt to very extreme situations, and so we can also get used to the hot season. It takes about 10 days of training for your body to realize that it needs to sweat more in order to keep you cool while exercising. During those days, take it easier and train at a lower intensity and duration than usually. Once your body is adapted, you can go back to the old routine.
Also, here are some points to think about when training outside:
- avoid training between 11am – 3pm as this is the hottest time of the day
- wear light clima- controlled clothes for easy evaporation of sweat from skin (like the clima-cool from Adidas or the dry fit from Nike)
- maybe reduce your warm up which is usually done to raise the core body temperature. However, in hot and humid conditions it is already raised.
- Drink about 500-750ml of water or sports drink per hour when training to keep you hydrated- - when participating in group sports make sure to get about 10-15 minutes of break in a cooler, shaded area to regain strength
In case you do feel heat exhaustion coming along, lie down with the legs raised to improve your blood pressure and cool yourself with ice packs and fanning.
Also drink cool water and rest for a while.
If you witness a heat stroke coming along, get medical attention immediately.
The good thing with living in Bangkok is that most condos do have a proper gym and you can modify your routine so much to actually train inside. However, you don’t want to cool down the gym too much, as your body temperature will drop and risks of muscle injuries occur. And another alternative is to jump in your swimming pool and do some laps in the cool water.
As you see, training outside doesn’t need to be a problem in Bangkok if you are concious and take care of yourself. So stay fit and healthy!
Martina from www.bangkokfitnessanywhere.com