THIS ARTICLE IS HERE republished from Conversation under Creative Commons License.
When summer begins with a suffocating heat wave, as we will see many places in 2024can pose a risk to almost anyone who spends time outdoors, whether they are a runner, someone walking or cycling to work, someone working outdoors, or children playing sports.
Susan Yearginheat illness expert explains what everyone should think about before spending time outdoors during a heatwave, and how to keep themselves, vulnerable family members and friends protected.
What are the risks of exercising outdoors?
The time of day matters if you’re going for a run and walking or cycling to work during a heatwave. People who get up early in the morning or run in the evening are less exposed to risk – the sun does not shine so strongly and the air temperature is lower.
However, if you normally run before noon or around lunchtime, you’ll probably want to reconsider exercising in the heat.
Almost everywhere in the US, the hottest part of the day is between 10:00 and 18:00. The body will gain heat from both air temperature and solar radiation. The ground also heats up, so you will feel more heat rising from the asphalt or grass.
To add humidity of the mixture this will also affect the body’s ability to dissipate heat through sweat.
Don’t forget that the body does too produces internal heat when you’re lively, whether you’re running or even mowing the lawn. When it is toasty or warm outside, this exercise further increases heat gain. The harder someone runs or cycles, the more heat they produce.
Workers working outdoors on farms, construction sites, or even walking dogs often spend longer in the heat and have less flexibility when it comes to breaks.
Are our bodies finally adapting to the summer heat?
This requires about two weeks so that the typical person can fully acclimatize to higher temperatures. During this time, your body makes incredible adaptations to deal with the heat.
Your sweating rate improves, dissipating heat more effectively. The volume of plasma increases, allowing more blood to flow through the body so that the heart does not have to work as tough. Because the cardiovascular system is more capable, the body does not heat up as much. You also retain salt better, which helps retain water in your body.