For seniors, staying active safely can be a challenge no matter what the weather. But when the thermometer starts heading north of 80°, the challenge doubles. How can you take precautions against injury, beware of dehydration and heat stroke and maintain your level of physical fitness? Great question. Here’s the answer: With some extra planning and a bit of creativity, you can stay active safely and still be in top shape at the end of the summer.
Timing is key.
The first rule of thumb if you want to stay active safely is to time your exercise. Unless you are literally going to be in air conditioning all day long, time your workouts (whether indoor or out) for either early morning or later in the evening. This is important for two reasons:
- If your preferred exercise is walking, then this should be obvious. You want to be outside either before the sun starts beating down on you or after it’s set. Yes, it might still be warm outside, but it won’t be scorching – which means less danger of dehydration and heat stroke. (You still have to drink, though; we’ll get to that later.)
- No matter where you exercise, you will be expending energy and losing water. If you go out into the heat in that state, your body will be asking for trouble. Exercising – even indoors – early in the morning gives your body a chance to rest and replenish its water supply before you go outside. That goes double for evening exercise slots.
Exercise in pairs.
If you’re going to be exercising outside, find a buddy. It could be your spouse, a friend or the neighbor who just moved in down the hall at your residence. The advantage to exercising in pairs is that you can keep an eye on each other. If one of you starts looking less than good, the other one will notice. This is a good tip for indoor exercise too, by the way.
What if you love the solitude of walking by yourself? If that’s your “me time,” don’t give it up. Do, however, tell someone when you’re leaving and when you expect to be back. When you do get home, call or text them to let them know.
If mobility is an issue, YouTube is your friend.
While it is important to get out, there are some days (even weeks) that are so hot it’s really not a good idea to spent time outdoors – at any hour. When that happens, you can head to the local mall and walk there, or go to the local gym and hit the treadmill. Indoor pools are another great solution.
What if the mall and the gym are far away and transportation is an issue? In that case, remember: Your devices are your friends. Whether you have a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone (or all four), you can fine top quality, low impact workouts for free, no equipment required. Limited space? There are workouts you can literally do in a space the size of an office cubicle.
Just one thing: Don’t attempt any kind of exercise or workout you’re not accustomed to, or that your physician has not approved. When in doubt, leave the fitness out. One day without exercise won’t make a difference, but doing the wrong kind of exercise could leave you injured.
Stay cool, stay hydrated = stay active safely.
No matter where you exercise, keep yourself cool and hydrated throughout the rest of the day. If you don’t have air-conditioning in your home, then spend the warmest hours of the day with a relative, in a senior center, a shopping mall or your favorite coffee shop. The negative effects of too much heat can creep up on you even without going outside.
We’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating: Stay hydrated. Drink water before and after every fitness session, as well as throughout the day. If you’re blessed to still be pulling long, intense workouts, drink while you exercise, too – and make sure to have a beverage that contains electrolytes in addition to your water.
Enjoy your workout!