{"id":4340,"date":"2025-09-29T19:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T19:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/aging\/fitness\/how-hot-is-too-hot-to-exercise-outdoors\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T19:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T19:32:15","slug":"how-hot-is-too-hot-to-exercise-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/aging\/fitness\/how-hot-is-too-hot-to-exercise-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hot Is Too Hot to Exercise Outdoors?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s shaping up to be another hot<\/em> summer. With heatwaves expected to reach record highs this year, it’s understandable to wonder whether exercising outside is even safe or possible without turning into a puddle of sweat.<\/p>\n

Sure, hot summers usually spell potential for extra beach days, pool parties, and fun in the sun. But high temperatures are a public health threat that only intensifies as the world warms, and is a serious problem for athletes (or anyone) who spend lots of time outdoors. Whether you’re fitness pro or not, everyone should take proper precautions when it comes to the heat, including hydrating properly, reapplying SPF regularly, investing in ways to keep your home cool on hot summer nights with air conditioners or sweat-wicking sheets, and retooling your fitness routine to account for exercising in the heat.<\/p>\n

We get the impulse to keep sweatin\u2019 it out in the sun: The majority of American adults would rather be physically active outdoors, according to a survey OnePoll conducted for the fitness app Verv last year. Of the 2,000 participants, it found that 75 percent of men and 51 percent of women prefer to work out al fresco.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not surprising, considering exercising in nature provides bonus health benefits: Studies find that exercising outdoors increases your physical activity level while making workouts feel easier.1<\/sup> It\u2019ll also reduce your stress and cortisol levels (i.e., a stress hormone) while boosting your mood and self-esteem.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

But unlike with indoor workouts, extreme temps of any sort and other weather factors, like humidity, need to be taken into consideration when it comes to outdoor workouts.<\/p>\n

How exercising in the heat affects your body<\/h2>\n

\u201cDuring exercise in hotter temperatures, our body does this great thing called thermoregulation, which is the body\u2019s ability to maintain our internal temperature within a safe range,\u201d Heather\u00a0Milton, CSCS, a board-certified clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone\u2019s Sports Performance Center tells Well+Good.<\/p>\n

Every time you sweat, that\u2019s an indicator that your body is thermoregulating. Increased blood flow is another sign, says Milton. \u201cThe two combine to cause higher heart rates to perform the same amount of work as compared to a temperate environment,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve likely experienced this for yourself if you\u2019ve ever tried hot yoga and it felt more challenging than when you\u2019ve done either practice in a non-heated room\u2014more heat equals more work.<\/p>\n

How exercising in the heat affects your recovery<\/h3>\n

The way your body keeps you cool during a hot workout can have implications after the workout is over. The water you lose through all that extra sweating, and the blood flow that\u2019s diverted from the muscles to the skin, can make for a more difficult recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigher temperatures cause a longer recovery time for your heart rate to return to normal,\u201d Bethany Stillwaggon, fitness trainer and master coach for Row House, previously told Well+Good about hot exercise recovery. \u201cWith enough water and electrolyte loss, someone could start feeling the effects of complications associated with water loss like headaches or dizziness, muscle cramping, easy fatigue, and muscle weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your muscles need water and blood flow to both regain strength after a workout and repair the damage sustained, which is how you build muscle.3<\/sup> Because blood flow can be restricted, and dehydration can be even more extreme after working out in the heat, muscle recovery may be impacted4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n