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Get Fit Summer: Tips for Enjoyable and Healthy Outdoor Training

Regular exercise is vital for year-round health, but the focus naturally intensifies when aiming to “get fit summer” for the warmer season.

If during winter you’ve put your diet aside and let things run a little bit loose, this warmer season seems like the perfect time to make up for the lost time. Also, if you’re looking for motivation to overcome inertia and begin a healthier routine, summer can push you forward. 

On the other hand, if you’ve spent the whole year working hard, with discipline and persistence, we know summer is the best OPPORTUNITY to show off a little, and display to the world those hard-earned muscles you’ve cultivated during winter. 

Whatever the case, summer is the best time to keep yourself active and moving! But, before you sign-up to the closest Planet Fitness, it’s important to keep some things in mind. 

First, we don’t want your workout to get in between you and all the fun of this summer holiday. Secondly, you’ll need more than a summer pass in GYM to make the best of this summer training program. 

And, finally: while summer is the perfect time for getting and staying in shape, this hot season demands some preparation and special care in order to keep yourself healthy and make your workout all gain and no pain. 

Here’s some tips that will HELP you enjoy the holidays, without forgetting about your health and about your workout results.

The fun is out there!

We’ve already talked about the many benefits of training outdoors, and those TIPS are especially true during summer. After all, you don’t want to spend your summertime all sweaty, doing repetitions inside a stuffy and crowded GYM when you could be ENJOYING a sunny day outside. 

So, the first TIP to make the best out of this summer-training program is: take advantage of this summertime to make your workout more fun! That goes if you’re a beginner, just starting to build your workout routine, as much as if you’re already an experienced fitness aficcionado. 

And rest at ease: fun can be closer than you imagine. You don’t need to put the rest of your holiday plans on hold in order to get the best results out of your summer workout. It’s just the opposite of that!

Here’s some ideas to make your summer-training more fun

• If your house offers wide open spaces, like gardens and backyards, it’s time to put them to use!
• Explore your town! Try different running routes.
• Depending on where you live, there are plenty of great places to train outdoors, not only for their awesome views and landscapes, but also for the structure they offer for your training.
• Many GYMs offer outdoor classes for their members and it’s likely that your town has workout groups. You can try it all with your friends! 
• Take ADVANTAGE of this free time to experiment with new modalities, like yoga, mountain bike, martial arts… 
• Is there a place you’ve always wanted to visit? Research some good spots for training and ADD them to your vacation schedule.
• If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer for some days of the week to get the best out of your outdoor training.
• Many GYMs, like our partners at School of Jiu Jitsu, offer free trial classes. You can explore your options, scheduling as many experimental classes as you can – no string attached -, until you discover the activities you like the most.
• Let loose your imagination! You can mix those ideias or create entirely new ones, according to your interests and your routine. But always keep in mind: summer training (outdoors and indoors alike) needs special attention and preparation to preserve your health! 

Here comes the sun, little darling… 

We’ve already talked about the importance of keeping a regular sun exposure, and how it’s essential to your PHYSICAL and mental health. But it never hurts to say it again.

Your body needs those precious sun-rays in order to properly absorb Vitamin D. You may be asking yourself: “and why is that important?”. Well, Vitamin D is an indispensable ingredient of a bunch of really important hormones and ENZYMES produced by your organism and responsible for all sorts of things, from building bone strength to regulating your humor. 

That being said, depending on where you live, sunlight can get really unforgiving during summer, even on overcast days. Especially if you’re not used to spending long periods of time outdoors during the day.

The consequences of excessive sun exposure during the day… can lead to really uncomfortable experiences at night, with sunburns and insolations. But those consequences can also manifest themselves afterwards, days (or years) later, like dehydration or skin diseases.

Watch out for these heat-related problems

Those are some SYMPTOMS of heat-related illnesses that most affect athletes during outdoor workouts. If you experienced any of them, it’s SIGN to stop your training and look for a cooler place, where you can rest and HYDRATE yourself. 

If those SYMPTOMS persist, look for a doctor! Without intervention, those annoying things can progress to serious problems, like heat exhaustion or heat strokes. 

• Heavy panting
• Nausea
• Fast and weak pulse
• Headaches
• Cramps
• Fatigue
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Muscle weakness

Some people need to be extra careful during summer

It’s true that the sun shines on everyone. And, as such, we’re all at risk of isolations and excessive exposure without taking the proper precautions to exercise outdoors. 

But there are certains demographics more susceptible to heat-related illness and that need extra-cautious during this season:

• Children
• Elderly people
• People with chronic diseases
• People taking prescribed medications 

Some precautions to train outdoors (and indoors) during summer

All that being said, using common sense and making the right preparations for your outdoors workout, summer-training can be all gain and no pain. Here’s some tips that will keep you and your workout partners safe and healthy this summertime:

1. Avoid training during the periods of HIGHEST temperatures and HIGH UV incidence. Instead, choose to exercise outdoors before 10:00 AM and after 05:00 PM; 
2. Even during the recommended period, use sunscreen at all times.
3. Remember to REAPPLY it every two hours of training. 
4. It’s true that sunscreen can undermine Vitamin D absorption, but it’s easy to reconcile the vitamin synthesis with the UV protection. Spending 10 minutes under the sun, daily, during the recommended period and without sunscreen, is enough for our bodies to absorb all the vitamin D it needs.
5. Keep yourself HYDRATED before, during and after a workout.
6. Remember to drink some water (at least) from 20 to 20 minutes while training.
7. Choose light clothes (we’re talking about weight and color here).
8. If you’re extra sensitive about sunlight, those UV protection clothing are excellent choices to look cool and keep healthy.
9. Don’t forget your sunglasses! 
10. We know it’s hot out there, but that’s no reason to forget the WARM-UPs! Start your training with lower intensity and progress gradually from there. 
11. If you’re into HIGH INTENSITY training, ADD isotonic drinks to your hydration.
12. A good workout routine always works better combined with a balanced diet. During summer, that’s extra important: choose light foods and take it easy on the salt and FAT.

Do you want more energy and refresh yourself during the summer? Discover the best acai bowl in Lake Jackson (TX). Get to know the menu of Vida Boa Açaí and come to a visit.