Ive been doing awesome at taking my lunch hour at work and walking around the campus I work for. Its beautiful out, slightly cool and just awesome. This is something I have found that works for me, its just perfect!
But................Summer is on its way and I CAN NOT exercise in the hot sun or I get a terrible headache and get sick. I dont want my routine to go away, now that I found a good thing. And where I live, we put up with terrible humidity all summer long.
I just needed to whine cause I know I will stop walking when it gets hot..........its just not the same on a treadmill.
I do as well. Sun does not agree with me, in fact I cannot be out in direct sunlight for more than 15 minutes or so because of skin cancer risk.
I did find that in the heat I get those frozen neck wraps and that does help me a little, give me 20 minutes of help at least, and early mornings before the heat (and People) get out might be the best time to work out.....funny me, I have a solution for everyone else as to how they can work out, yet my butt stays on the couch!
I would say that you can still try to get some walks in when you can, but definitely stay in on the hottest days. I don't know where you live, but for me I try not to exercise when it's past 92-95 if I can avoid it. For you, I would say to try going up to the upper 80s, see how it goes.
Your headaches and the sickness afterwards are the first part of heat exhaustion. Here's what you can do to avoid it:
1. Stay hydrated. By far the most important. Your body uses sweat to cool itself down, it needs to have enough water to sweat. If you work in an air-conditioned office, then you should drink before you go out since air-conditioning dries out the air around you. Drink during your walk. Drink after your walk. No less than that.
2. Sun protection. First, get a big floppy hat. Not a cap, a big floppy hat that will also protect the back of your head and your neck. I usually wear a long sleeved loose cotton shirt. If I'm near the equator (or you have really sensitive skin) then I suggest putting sunblock AND using the long sleeved shirt.
3. Not overdoing it. Take it slower. This isn't the time to be pushing for records.
The cold towel on the back of the neck is a good idea. I've used it more than once. I would also suggest bringing a change of clothes. I bike a little over 3.5 miles to work every day and go home for lunch, even when it's really hot. That's about 15 minutes without traffic. I just bring a quick change of clothes with me so that I stay looking professional and not freeze because our building likes to stay at 65 degrees in the summer. It's easy and a good way to get some much needed exercise in.
Try it! It's a great time to be moving past old comfort zones!
I don't know where you are from, but I know that the mornings here in the summer are just wonderful. I think that if you live in a more humid environment, it isn't as good. But, maybe early morning workouts?
Like Diane, I love early summer mornings. Running in the early dark winter mornings is torture, but getting out there in the early summer morning is such a pleasure. The air is new and it is the perfect temperature.
I live in the deep south. From mid-May until the end of September our temps are in the upper 90's and 100 degrees is common. Add high humidity to that and walking at work is not possible. Right now, I take a 10 minute walk twice a day at work. If I do that this summer, to put it delicately, I would be offensive to other people.
I am planning on using my Walk Away the Pounds video just like I did in the worst winter weather. However, there will be many more hot days than there were cold days. I have also been known to walk after dark. That is an option only if you have a safe play to walk.
The good news is that with my weight loss I hope to find that I tolerate the hot weather better than I have in the past. Maybe this will be true for you too. I also tell myself that if I have not lost enough weight YET than by summer of 2010 I should have.
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I am so with you. I need it to be fall all year round. First off, we are a family of Irish vampires. Seriously, we are so pale, we don't even have a reflection in the mirror. I have no tolerance for heat.
That is why I am so glad I bit the bullet and joined the recreation centre. (I just need to get there more.)
With 4 little ones, I can't leave the house early in the morning either. I am having to dig deep (for energy) and go at night, maybe you could go workout in the early evening when it starts to cool off? Or, find some good DVDs or maybe one of those Nintendo Wii thingies (I am still thinking about getting one meself) and excersize on the really hot days, indoors in the a/c? I know it may get boring but I'd rather be bored then sweating my arse off, getting sunburned and passing out from heat stroke. (I am such a sun wimp!)
I walk a lot on my lunch breaks too, but found last summer that while I don't get headaches, I come back to work looking like I've melted. Hair all sweaty, matted to my head, make-up gone, face red...not pretty or very professional. I really can't walk to much in the morning because it's dark and I'm not comfortable walking in the dark...even if my dog does think she's tough. Instead, I have two back-up plans this summer. I work in a building with 44 floors...lots of steps in an air conditioned building. Also, I park in a very open, bright parking garage that stays cool even when it's hot outside (concrete, eight floors, so lots of shade, but open sides so the breeze can pass through) so I figured as long as I was careful watching for cars, I could easily walk the parking garage on my lunches also.
Also, one the temps get about 75, I will have to start breaking up my dogs walks. Usually we walk for an hour when I get off work, but she has a TON of fur so warm temperatures are too dangerous for her to walk that much. We will have to start doing 15 minutes here and there to get in her hour of exercise (she's my diet buddy )
I too live in the south where it is HOT and HUMID from the beg. of May through most of October. I mean the kind of heat and humidity that just takes your breath away when you walk outside. Its like that even in the early morning and past dark its awful. I do resort to the treadmill I just throw on a DVD or my IPOD to make it doable. I also have Tae Bo videos I like to alternate with the treadmill so its not so BORING.
I used to live in Phoenix, AZ and in the summer you can imagine how the triple digit temps keep EVERYONE from exercising outside! During the hot months I learned to get up earl (sunrise.....literally) and exercise then and I actually learned to enjoy it, sunrise is a really beautiful time of day!
I live in Jersey now and while it's not nearly like Phoenix it still can be miserably hot. Unfortunately my second shift work schedule (I don't even get home until midnight) keeps me from doing any real early morning workouts. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to cope yet....
Oh man, I totally relate! I live right smack on the equator and it's summer all year round. I wish I had the luxury of spring and autumn, and throw in a bit of winter to keep us all cuddling, but no. It's hot and humid, generally about 32 celsius and and humidity is between 75-80.
Which is mainly the reason why I run at night, or at least, after sunset. But I do exercise videos in the day, and going to the gym is fine because it's all air conditioned (though no budget for membership-argh!).
As long as you keep yourself hydrated, you should be okay. There are times where I run in the late afternoon and feel completely dizzy extremely quickly because of lack of hydration.
Alternatively, you could join a dance class, aerobics class, or (this one I wanna do) martial arts class. It'll be indoors and you'll still be working out.
You could make this a summer routine, so your body doesn't condition itself to the exercises your normally do and it would shake things up a bit.
I live in SC, and I can totally relate. Outside workouts are done as of late April! If you are like me, it's not always JUST the heat, although it's a big part of it, but the bright sunshine that gets you. If your campus has an art gallery type of thing you could try walking in there, or taking some stairs on your lunch break. And you never know, you might be seeing some results by summer and that much more motivated to get on a treadmill.
Summer is coming...Im not so happy about it!
I dont want my routine to go away, now that I found a good thing. And where I live, we put up with terrible humidity all summer long. 
Seriously, we are so pale, we don't even have a reflection in the mirror. I have no tolerance for heat.
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