Ten ways to maintain your fitness routine in hot weather – by experts

It’s 9pm, the dishwasher’s humming and the dog sleeping as I haul myself off the sofa and, wearing pyjama shorts, an old vest, no bra and a grimace, subject myself to thigh-burning weighted lunges. I know that in this heat, if I don’t get the exercise I dread most over with now, I’ll bail on my whole routine in the morning. If keeping fit feels especially gruelling in a heatwave, it’s because your body’s trying to fuel your muscles while keeping your temperature down, making your heart beat faster and increasing fatigue. Add in the exhaustion of disrupted sleep – because it’s harder to cool down enough to nod off – and it’s unsurprising we’re collectively exercising less. This year, a study analysing 24 billion minutes of activity on people wearing Fitbits, published in the Journal of Public Economics, found “significant reductions in activity” in hot weather. Another study in the journal Nature Human Behaviour found exercise levels declined in temperatures of over 28°C – a snip compared to the 35°C heat expected in swathes of England last week, our fourth heatwave of the summer. (Not to mention that from this Sunday, we can expect 30°C temperatures in parts of the country). Mine don’t, however, because I’m an exercise addict, and if I don’t fit in my usual fitness regime, I go slightly mad. “Deconstructing” my workout by doing some of it the night before is one way I’m managing this summer, and while you might not be as regimented, it’s still wise to develop strategies to keep moving, because “even in hot weather, exercise will help you feel less sluggish,” says personal trainer Kate Rowe-Ham, author of Owning Your Menopause. And this is unlikely to be our last heatwave of the summer. “We can’t press pause because it’s super-hot,” says strength coach Sarah Best (@findurfituk). “We need to be sensible and adapt.” Here’s how. Shorts Get a breeze blowing and consider gym air con A fan won’t lower the temperature if you’re working out at home, but it will create a draft that may evaporate sweat, helping you stay cool. Best uses a “basic fan” from Amazon while filming workouts for her app, Fitness Bites, in a “hot box gym that feels like a sauna at three in the afternoon”. Propping my 20-year-old John Lewis fan in front of my Peloton before spin sessions helps keep me peddling. Obviously, most gyms have the advantage of being air conditioned, so temporary membership at a budget chain such as Pure Gym might be worth considering, although I do personal training with Rowe-Ham who says: “When it’s hot, for me, getting into the car to make it there in the first place would feel a step too far.” Don’t be afraid to lift weights outside If you’re exercising indoors, shut the curtains and open the windows, says Rowe-Ham. Finding a shady spot in the garden can help you stay cool if there’s a breeze, adds Best, whose own weights station is in a covered area outside her home. “You can definitely do a weights session outside with a mat, as long as you’ve got a flat, sturdy surface.” If you are going to be in sunlight while exercising outdoors wear a sweat proof sunscreen. Rowe-Ham and Best both use By Sarah. Exercise when it’s coolest Best exercises “first thing, when it’s not crazy hot”, as does Rowe-Ham, who says, “I want to get it done and not risk feeling too hot to bother later”. But in the evening, when temperatures have cooled, is also an option, she says, and although I’ve always exercised before breakfast I’ve found 9pm a surprisingly palatable window. The peace is a pleasant counter to the stifling heat and a few minutes of weights before bed seems to help me sleep. Shower before you work out and drink ice slurry “I have a warm shower before I work out, which cools your body more effectively than a cool shower, so I start off feeling cool,” says Best. “I re-shower afterwards.” A meta-analysis of cooling strategies in hot weather in the journal Sports Medicine found cooling your neck and drinking a crushed ice drink during exercise were the most efficient methods for improving performance. Not because they significantly reduced core body temperature, but because they made people feel cooler, and their workout, therefore, feels more manageable. Try soaking a flannel in iced water and draping it around your neck. ‘You can definitely do a weights session outside with a mat, as long as you’ve got a flat, sturdy surface,’ says Best (Photo: Jacob Ammentorp Lund/Getty Images) Train your mind with the five-minute rule Exercising in the heat is a psychological minefield. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found participants exercising in a 40°C environment reported being exhausted after about 50 minutes, while in 18°C they could work out for an hour without reaching exhaustion. But researchers concluded the main reason was the effect hyperthermia had on the brain and central nervous system, not the muscles. So talk yourself into toughing it out. “I tell myself I’ll just do five minutes and see how I feel,” says Best. “If you use this rule, invariably once you’ve started, you’ll keep going.” Keep a treat on hand for afterwards. “Frozen blueberries are healthy and feel cooling,” says Rowe-Ham. Drink water, and then drink more! Dehydration, caused by sweating, forces your heart to work harder and reduces blood flow to your muscles. A review in the Journal of Sport and Health Science found athletic performance can start to decline when we lose just one per cent of our body mass from fluid loss. Rowe-Ham keeps a pint of water by her bed to drink on waking. “After my coffee, I have more water – I definitely drink more in the heat, which gives me more energy.” She doesn’t use electrolyte supplements, which replace minerals such as sodium and potassium lost through sweat, but are unnecessary for most. “If you’re someone who sweats a lot or regularly gets cramps, there might be more of a case.” Wear pyjamas and lose the bra if you want “Cotton pyjamas and a standard bra – or no bra at all – can be a comfortable option for lifting weights,” says Rowe-Ham. “I definitely wouldn’t wear Lycra leggings in the heat – they’re essentially plastic,” adds Best, who exercises in shorts and a vest. I’ve ditched vests unless I’m running outdoors and, when required, opt for my oldest, saggiest sports bras that don’t need a crowbar to peel on and off. Nobody said heatwave exercise was glamorous. Cut your workouts or change the format Best says 20 minutes of “decent intensity” is an achievable goal while Rowe-Ham suggests tweaking your existing routine. “This might mean shortening your sessions into exercise ‘snacks,’ taking more rest breaks or breaking your workout into a morning and evening session.” I’ve split my half hour Peloton workout into three 10-minute rides over a couple of hours on really hot days. It means sitting around sweaty for longer – but I would have been sweaty anyway. Rowe-Ham suggests giving swimming a go for strength, mobility and cardiovascular benefits – water transfers heat from the body more efficiently than air. “Find out if your local leisure centre has a pool, or investigate outdoor swimming options in nearby lakes.” Make allowances for hormones While perimenopausal symptoms are improved by exercise, perimenopause makes temperature regulation harder, so working out can feel especially challenging for midlife women in heatwaves, says Rowe-Ham. “Stick to your usual routine and you’ll probably crash. Consistency is more important than intensity.” Reduce your routine if necessary. Ordinarily a runner, she’s been doing more walks with a 5kg weighted vests during heatwaves. “It’s a good cardiovascular workout without feeling overwhelming.” Persevere – it gets easier Studies show our bodies can start to adapt to exercising in hot weather in as little as a couple of days. “The more you do it, the more accustomed you’ll get to exercising in the heat,” says Rowe-Ham. “You might not be able to train as hard, but it’s worth getting your mindset around what you stand to gain from exercise, and when there’s a break in the weather you’ll still be fit enough to get straight back into your usual routine.” For me, it’s the feeling of strength and resilience – always rewarding and, during a heatwave, more important than ever.”