Author: Jolene Cooper

Top 10 Ways to Stay Active in the Heat

1.  It’s about time.
I find that Vancouver is usually warmest between 1pm and 5pm, so I avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest time of the day. I wish I could run in the morning when its less humid and cooler, but I am not at all a morning person.  Instead I try to wait until after 7pm when the sun begins to set.  

2. Portion control. 
When it’s really warm, I try to do multiple shorter workouts instead of one longer, more intense one. 

3. Stick to the shade.
This may sound silly, but when I’m running in a residential neighbourhood, or even along the seaside path, I run where ever there is more shade.  The shade is marginally cooler than in direct sunlight, but I’ll take all the coolness I can get.

4. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.
I drink much more water when it’s hot out anyways, but I try to drink even more before I’m going to workout.  I try to bring water with me when I’m running, even though I hate carrying my water bottle, I’m usually thankful at the midpoint that I brought some water.  I also tend to drink coffee in the morning, which is a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates the body, so I drink even more water to counteract the caffeine.

5. Less is more.
To keep as cool as possible, I wear loose fitting, light breathable clothing to maximize airflow.  Lighter colours reflect the sun and keep me cooler, where dark colours absorb the sun and add to the heat. Dry fit fabrics help wick moisture away from the skin, keeping me much cooler than cotton.   

6. Take it easy. 
When it’s really warm out, I take more breaks than I normally would.  Thankfully, I get tired much faster when it’s hot, so my body tells me when I need to rest. 

7. Switch it up.
Sometimes it is too hot for a run.  I try to choose cooler activities that are less intense when it’s particularly warm, such as swimming, or leisurely riding my bike along the water.

8. Head to the water. 
Air near the water feels cooler, whether it is or not, I don’t know. But it doesn’t feel as humid or hot near the ocean so that’s where I run.  I’m always so tempted to jump in at the end of my workout, one day I just might.
 
9. Into thin air. 
I don’t have asthma but I definitely notice a difference in my breathing when the air quality is poor. If you have asthma or other breathing difficulties, try to avoid exercising outdoors if the air quality is poor.

10. Listen to your body.
I tend to get physically exhausted way before any of these symptoms develop, but it’s important to know the signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion so you can prevent heat illness. 
• headache
• confusion or lack of concentration.
• loss of muscular control
• oversweating followed by not sweating at all
• hot and cold flashes.
• upset stomach, muscle cramps, vomiting, dizziness

I thought this was supposed to get easier. Not easy, but easier.
The goals were set, the strategies were laid out and the schedule was made. 
The only thing left to do was to get out there and run, sweat, and make salads.
So why did I only manage to get out and run twice last week? What broke down the plan so early in the game? What went wrong?

Bootcamp. That’s what happened.

I took a bootcamp fitness class last Tuesday, and spent the rest of my week in recovery. All my muscles were aching. No, aching is not the right word. My muscles were screaming at me, scolding me for causing them so much pain. Even muscles I didn’t know I had were hurting. And I’m a kin grad; I know my muscles. 

I spent most of last week struggling up and down stairs, so running wasn’t really a viable activity.  This humbling experience, did however teach me two valuable lessons.

1. Know your limits
I’ve participated in intense fitness classes before, and was reminded why I stopped taking them in the past.  Some masochist coined the phrase “No pain, no gain” but I think it has to be the right type of pain. I would describe good pain in the days following a tough workout as ‘stiffness’; a gentle reminder that you’ve been neglecting those muscles for too long.  Any pain that dramatically interferes with daily activities is not the pain I’m looking for.  I definitely got the hint that I’ve been neglecting specific muscle groups; I think I’ll find alternative ways of working them out from now on. I would love to be able to continue the bootcamp workout, and work out with less intensity, but the pace of the class is set for the larger group, so my pace may disrupt the flow of the group.

2. Know when to push yourself
This lesson may seem to contradict the first one, but a little bit of pain or stiffness is good.  With exercise, there’s a plateau effect. What this means is that you can’t do the exact same workout every day for years and expect to see drastic changes in physique overtime. Our muscles adapt quickly and become more efficient, so to continue to see improvements in strength and physique, you’ve got to continually challenge yourself.  Let me use an example.  If I run the same distance every day, at approximately the same speed, after a few weeks, I’m not going to get any faster or slimmer from running. To break out of the plateau, I can run faster, run a longer distance, run uphill, or a combination of these.  The important thing to remember is to know when to push yourself, and know how far to push yourself. It is pretty clear to me that Bootcamp pushed me too far, so if I’m ever brave enough to return to the class, I’ll try to scale it back a bit. 

Keep these lessons in mind on your own journey to fitness and hopefully they’ll be much less painful than mine.

Last week, I uncovered the much sought-after secret to healthy living.

Eating healthy and being physically active.

While it’s not exactly rocket science, there are many barriers preventing us from taking this knowledge of “how to become healthy and fit” and actually applying it to become healthy and fit. While it is challenging  to incorporate these behaviours into hectic schedules, I might have given you the impression that I’m just plain lazy.

If you’re not completely convinced, this might do the trick.

I hate grocery shopping. Absolutely despise it. I hate grocery shopping more than I hate cooking. So while I try to eat healthy by selecting more fresh fruits and vegetables, I end up being punished by having to grocery shop more often and then I’m stuck eating the same thing all week so things don’t spoil. Let’s use romaine lettuce as an example. As someone who lives alone, I’ve got to eat salad everyday to finish the romaine before it spoils. While salad can be tasty, please remember how lazy I am. I’m too lazy to spend time at the grocery store buying an array of ingredients to prepare fancy salad creations and I’m much too lazy to spend the time chopping these ingredients to prepare such salads.

So here’s my game plan: If you’ve got it. Chop it.

Let me elaborate. Let’s say you’ve got half a red pepper that’s pretty close to spoiling. Chop it. You’ve got a ton of romaine lettuce because the market doesn’t sell half heads of lettuce (that’s a rant for another day); chop it. What about that cucumber? Chop it. Got a handful of dried cranberries leftover from those cookies you made two months ago? Toss them in. I’m not creative when it comes to  grocery shopping or cooking, so my strategy is to just put what I’ve got together and see what happens.  I’m fairly certain no one’s ever died from a poorly designed salad.

I made this salad the other day:

Ingredients: 

-romaine lettuce

-yellow pepper

-cucumber

-peanuts

-Italian parmesan and herb dressing

So I guess the moral of my story is you can be both lazy and healthy.  Until next week…

By now, I think we all know the secret to being healthy and fit.

Here’s a hint: it’s not a secret.

Eat healthily and be physically active. Seems simple enough, right?

So if it’s common knowledge and fairly straightforward, why is it so difficult to attain? My theory: we’re either too busy, or too lazy to incorporate healthy foods and regular exercise into our daily lives. While I wouldn’t dare say that I’m not busy, I think my problem is lacking consistent motivation. The thought of spending even half an hour on a treadmill is enough to make me tie myself to my ever-so comfortable couch.

So how do I plan to combat my lethargic tendencies?

Well if variety is the spice of life, I’ve got paprika in one hand and nutmeg in the other.

If I can incorporate an assortment of physical activities into my routine, I think I’ll have a fighting chance at keeping myself motivated.

I’ve recently taken to running outdoors; thankfully Vancouver’s climate is much more conducive than southern Ontario, and the diversity of the city makes for an entertaining run every time. I have joined a community yoga program that I attend 1-2 times/week, and I recently had my first encounter with the Grouse Grind. Needless to say, it was…well, enlightening. My plan is to do the Grind once a week, and if my first time was any indication, it will serve as a motivator for me to continue a regular fitness routine.

A little negative reinforcement goes a long way, right?