Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Gym owner offers advice for working out in extreme heat

By Rob Mahon

If you’ve been staying active during the recent heat wave, you’ve probably found yourself burning a lot more energy than usual. Whether people work out, jog, cycle, or play a sport, the hot weather takes a toll.

A Saskatchewan gym operator is offering up some advice for dealing with the heat while continuing to stay active. Fighting through the heat is something she’s seeing in her gym on a regular basis now.

“The humidex kills us,” said Desiree Hesson, owner of The S2DIO in Prince Albert. “In brutal honesty, we have a rooftop air conditioner that only cools our spin room, plus I have six fans in there, and we still find the humidity is just crazy.”

According to Hesson, if you’re staying active during the heat the most important thing to remember is to stay hydrated. After all, higher temperatures mean you’re more likely to sweat, and all that water will need to be replaced.

“You want to do, at minimum, eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. That’s a bare minimum,” Hesson said. “If you are exercising multiple times a week, you’ll want to chug down about 20 ounces of water a couple of hours before your workout, and about half an hour before you workout you’ll want another eight ounces.”

Hydrating during your workout is important as well, Hesson added, and having water close to hand will matter during your activity, whatever it may be. But even if you hydrate, it’s fair to expect a certain decrease in your strength or speed when it’s hot outside.

“Hydration directly affects all of that, so that’s why it’s so important to hydrate through it all,” Hesson said.

“I personally love the heat… I want to feel and embrace the heat, where a lot of other people don’t have a good experience when it gets really hot.”

If the heat is really affecting your workouts or other exercises, one thing Hesson recommended to help avoid it is to start earlier in the day.

“First thing in the morning, it’s always cooler,” she said. “Or go later in the evening when it’s a little cooler out then. It shouldn’t hit you quite as hard.”