Exercising outside this summer? Drink twice as much water as you think you need

[jmowreader]

I decided to go on a nice little 60-mile bike ride today. When I got back I was feeling REAL bad. Half an hour of rest and two quarts of water later and I was back to normal...tomorrow I'll buy another water bottle and cage (preferably one that holds a liter of water) to keep this from happening again.

[kentauros]

1. As I recall from safety meetings,

it's one-cup per half hour of exposure, and not all at once at the end of the day. Glad you were able to rehydrate! Heat exhaustion isn't fun, and quite dangerous if ignored.

Whenever I get back on my bike, I'll have to get a bottle carrier, or just wear a backpack with the bottles I own. One I like is a plastic half-liter type that I can freeze and then just drink it as it melts. I bought them from this site

[CrawlingChaos]

2. Especially when the weather first turns hot

This is kind of anecdotal but I have found there's an acclimation period necessary during the first blast of summer heat (I've heard the same thing from others) and those first few summer workouts seem to really take their toll. Then, day by day, I find I can do more as my body adjusts to the hot weather. And hydration becomes all the more critical, of course.

I notice a lot of people still cling to the notion that working out in the heat will help them "toughen up". Maybe it does, I don't know (certainly gets your heartrate up) but it can definitely be dangerous. You do get to know yourself -- for instance my personal rule of thumb is above 85 degrees, I start reducing intensity (and that's assuming I'm fully hydrated).

I sure do know that feeling you describe - you feel like you could drink a swimming pool. Hope you're feeling good today with no after effects.

[pnwmom]

3. And make sure any dogs with you have enough water, too. n/t