Posts Tagged ‘exercise’
Marathon Training in the Summer Heat
As fall marathons approach, many runners are well into their training schedule, but when the temperatures outside are climbing it gets harder to keep the pace with training.
In a previous post, Antoinette M. Cheney, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician from Lone Tree, Colo., offered advice to new runners about training for their first marathon. Now she offers additional tips to keep in mind when training in the heat:
- Hydration is key. Don’t just drink water right before or during a run. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to be properly hydrated before your run.
- Avoid running during the hottest part of the day. Early morning and evening hours are the coolest and the best for outdoor exercising. As heat and humidity increase between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., your body’s temperature control system is at greater risk for developing a heat-related illness.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Limit your exposure to direct sunlight by not exercising during the hottest part of the day, which is typically when the sun is directly overhead. No matter what time of day or amount of cloud cover, use sunscreen to prevent sunburn and wear a cap or visor to shield your head, face and eyes from the sun’s rays.
If you are running in the heat and experience symptoms such as a headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting or sudden weakness or fatigue, you could be experiencing heat exhaustion. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, you should get out of the heat immediately and try to cool yourself down with fluids, wiping down with a cool towel or by taking a shower or bath.
Happy running!
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B.U.F.F. Dudes Want to Help You Battle Obesity
B.U.F.F. Dudes Brandon and Hudson are on a mission to help the masses Better Understand Food & Fitness, aka, get people B.U.F.F., as they explain on their new website BUFF-Dudes.com.
The site offers entertaining videos and blog posts, overtly targeted at males, providing information on diet and nutrition. Topics range from destroying your fear of the gym to healthy alternatives for normally fattening or sugary foods.
With a sense a humor and a contagious dose of motivation, the B.U.F.F. Dudes provide practical information and resources for those trying to improve their health.
Note: The AOA does not officially endorse BUFF-Dudes.com as a source of health information.
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Allergic to Exercise?
Ever joke about being allergic to exercise when you’re not in the mood for a workout? A recent post on Self magazine’s Healthy Self blog discusses how for some this is no laughing matter. The condition is called exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA).
Brian Smart, MD, an allergist and immunologist at the DuPage Medical Group Asthma and Allergy Center in Glen Ellyn, Ill., points out in the post that you can’t actually be allergic to exercise but that it can trigger anaphylaxis, which is a severe, whole-body reaction to a particular trigger.
“Life-threatening episodes and fatalities have been reported, but are quite uncommon with this condition,” he is quoted as saying. “Nonetheless, anaphylaxis is always serious and should be treated as such.”
Learn more about EIA symptoms and treatment for those afflicted with the condition on the Healthy Self blog at Self.com.
Related articles
- What Is a Drug Allergy? (everydayhealth.com)
- Food allergies affect more city kids than rural ones (cbsnews.com)
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Think Before You Look, Before You Leap …
Ivan Rusilko, DO, is an accomplished weight loss and wellness physician who serves as the director of medical and fitness for the prestigious MIAMI Institute in Miami, Fla.
Far too many times I hear, “Doc I go to the gym five times a week and run until I can’t run anymore and I still am not losing the weight!” In response I always ask, “Well what is your diet?” This usually results in a bashful grin and an expression of guilt. The point is that you can run and exercise until you’re blue in the face but without a proper diet plan you are just spinning your wheels.
When starting an exercise program one must first realize that 90% of achieving the body of your dreams – whether it be a pair of bulging biceps or a sexy toned bikini body—is following a proper nutritional diet. When deciding to make this commitment to a better life and a healthier you, exercise should be considered as an adjunct – not and end all. This is one of the hardest concepts I see my patients struggle with, but once this concept gets through to your head you are ready to formulate an effective exercise plan. I suggest to my patients that they follow the following three objectives when creating their workout routines:
Objective 1: Who do you want to be?
The first step in starting any program in life is to determine your end goal. Is it to bench press a Buick, run a six-minute mile, or look good in a bikini? Having a goal to strive for is essential to keep you motivated and to stay on track.
I ask my patients to write out their specific goals on paper and sign and date it before I even see them. This gives them focus and determination to overcome any hump or temptation that may impede their way to achieving their end goal.
Objective 2: Spartan or Weekend Warrior?
Understanding and accepting who you are currently and what you are capable of doing is important to being successful in your exercise routine. Setting unrealistic goals and time frames will result in a sense of discouragement when they aren’t met. Baby steps are the best way to make monumental leaps. Set a goal for your day, week, month and life, and never stop until it is reached.
Objective 3: Who are You Now?
Make sure to record your physical stats and attributes at the start so you can track your progress. Information you log should include:
• Strength: The amount of weight you are lifting.
• Times: For example, how long it takes you to run or bike a certain distance.
• Vital signs: Including your resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI). BMI is a method of estimating a person’s body fat levels based upon a person’s weight and height measurement.
While recording this information will help you to work with your physician to determine a safe exercise routine and will provide benchmarks for tracking progress, I often remind my patients that one of the best gauges of success is what they see in the mirror. Muscle weighs more than fat, and looks a lot better, so let your reflection “weigh in” on how you are progressing—and don’t rely solely on the numbers.
Following these three objectives will prepare you not only for physical improvements, but also for fulfilling your life goals. The old saying is “Look before you leap,” but I always preach, “Think before you look, before you leap, and you will never miss.”
Related Articles:
Women Less Apt Than Men to Get Recommended Daily Exercise (HealthDay News)
Drink Red Wine, Stop Fat Cells? (EveryDayHealth.com)
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Drinking Chocolate Milk After Working Out
Replenishing energy stores and reviving muscles are among the benefits associated with drinking chocolate milk after working out. Health care writer Jeff Bayer explains in an article on FoxNews.com that after your workout, your body is most receptive to using amino acids to repair muscle tissue and carbohydrates to restore muscle glycogen (which helps the body store energy). The protein and carbohydrate levels in chocolate milk provide this needed nourishment after exercising, making it a fitting post-workout beverage option. Read the full article for more information on the benefits of drinking chocolate milk after exercising.
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- Chocolate Milk Is The Best Post Workout Drink? (fitnesstroop.com)
- Chocolate milk can help you get best results after workout (news.bioscholar.com)
- Debunking Myths About Popular Beverages (QuarterLife-Health.com)
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Dog Day Workouts: Exercising Safely in the Heat
As summer vacations become memories, daylight hours get shorter and back-to-school shopping takes a priority, many people will head outside to soak up the last bits of sunshine and warmth that the season has to offer. However, these dog days of summer are often accompanied by the season’s most blistering heat and oppressive humidity, putting those who exercise outdoors at heightened risk for heat-related illness.
“Running, biking, rowing or taking whatever physical activity you love outside of the gym is a great way to do something good for your body while enjoying the sights and sounds of the environment around your home,” explains Rob Danoff, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician who serves as the program director of the family practice and the combined family practice/emergency medicine residency programs at Aria Health System in Philadelphia. “But, it is important to practice hot weather safety by protecting yourself from heat overload.”
Dr. Rob offers the following tips for avoiding heat-related illnesses when exercising outdoors in the summer:
1. Avoid the hottest part of the day. Early morning and evening hours are the coolest and the best for outdoor exercising. As heat and humidity increase between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., your body’s temperature control system is at a greater risk for “heat overload” and developing a heat-related illness. That’s because the high heat combined with the higher humidity makes it difficult for your body to “sweat” away its excess heat.
2. Check the heat index before heading out. The heat index takes into consideration the humidity level of the air outside to estimate the “real” temperature effect on your body. Extreme caution is advised for a heat index greater than 91 degrees Fahrenheit. And, once the heat index reaches 103, there is a real danger to your health, so it is best to exercise at a cooler time of the day.
3. Protect yourself from the sun. Limiting your exposure to direct sunlight is another reason to avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest part of the day, which is typically when the sun is directly overhead. No matter what time of day or amount of cloud cover, use sunscreen to prevent sunburn and wear a cap or visor to shield your head, face and eyes from the sun’s rays.
4. Plan a route or pick a spot near shade or shelter. Whether you’re jogging through the neighborhood, rowing on the water or doing yoga on the beach, make sure there are places on your route or nearby where you can cool off. If you’re biking or jogging long distances, shady areas will help you stay cool. Trees and underpasses are great places out of the sun where you can cool down. Even better are public buildings and libraries, which are usually air-conditioned. If you need a break or start to overheat, you can duck into the lobby of one of these buildings, which are also places where drinking fountains are usually accessible for sipping water or filling water bottles.
5. Stay hydrated. Your body can lose a quart or more of its cooling fluid during an intense workout. Hydration should actually start before you begin exercising. A good rule of thumb is to drink around 16 ounces of water approximately two hours before the start of your workout and continue to drink 8 ounces every 20 minutes throughout the duration of the physical activity. This will help to ensure you are replacing fluids lost while sweating without over hydrating yourself. Save sports drinks for moderate to intense levels of activity lasting an hour or more. Avoid alcohol, soda and caffeine prior to and during your workout, as they can impair your body’s ability to cool itself.
6. Wear loose clothing or synthetic fabrics. Today’s athletic clothing is designed to be lightweight and wick moisture away from the skin, aiding the body’s natural cooling process. Synthetic materials commonly used include polypropylene, Lycra®, nylon and polyester. Many products are also designed to prevent clinging and chafing. Additionally, loose-fitting clothing helps with ventilation for body heat and sweat, so avoid tight or restricting garments.
7. Understand your medications. Some medications have the potential to affect your body’s ability to stay hydrated and respond to the effects of the heat. These include but are not limited to:
• Tranquilizers
• Medications for Parkinson’s disease
• Diuretic medications
• Cold or anti-diarrhea medicines
• Antihistamines
• Antibiotics such as doxycycline, which can increase the risk for sunburn, further impairing the body’s ability to regulate its heat load.
Ask your physician if any herbal or dietary supplements and/or over-the-counter or prescription medications you take have the potential to increase your risk for a heat-related illness.
8. Know the signs of heat-related illness. The best way to treat a serious heat-related illness is to prevent one from occurring. This makes it important to know the early warning signs of a milder heat-related illness and to take “cooling” steps when your body begins to experience heat overload. These include:
• Heat cramps are painful, brief muscle cramps that can begin any time while exercising in the heat up to a few hours after. They are believed to be associated with poor hydration and low levels of essential minerals known as electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) in the body’s tissue.
• Heat exhaustion, a milder form of heat-related illness, has the potential to lead to heat stroke if left untreated. Symptoms can be subtle (unexplained fatigue, headache) or progress quickly (vomiting, fainting) after warm/hot weather exercise. Signs of heat exhaustion include:
– Heavy sweating
– Weakness
– Unexplained fatigue
– Nausea or vomiting
– Dizziness
– Headache
– Fainting
– Muscle cramps
– Pale complexion
• Heat stroke, the most serious heat-related illness, can be fatal or cause permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided. Heat stroke occurs when the body’s natural cooling mechanism fails, causing body temperature to rapidly rise (sometimes to 106 degrees Fahrenheit). Warning signs of heat stroke include:
– Extremely high body temperature
– Rapid pulse
– Red, hot and dry skin (no more sweating)
– Throbbing headache
– Dizziness and/or nausea
– Confusion
– Loss of consciousness
9. Know what to do if you or someone you know is showing warning signs of heat-related illness. Get help immediately if you think you see someone suffering from a heat-related illness or if you exhibit signs of your own. Call “911” for medical assistance and take the following steps to cool the victim:
• Get them to a shady area, preferably an indoor, air-conditioned environment.
• Cool them using whatever methods are available, such as wiping the person down with a cool sponge, spraying with a hose or placing in a tub with cool water and fanning the person vigorously.
• Monitor their body temperature and continue cooling efforts until emergency or medical personnel arrive.
• Do not use rubbing alcohol to cool them and avoid any alcoholic drinks.
• Stay by their side until medical assistance arrives.
10. Lastly, Dr. Rob adds, if you have children, ensure your child’s school has an action plan for safety during warm-weather sports activities.
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How to take smart exercise breaks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)