The heat has arrived in Muskegon, Michigan. I had forgotten how hot weather makes exercise more difficult. I sweat more, my heart rate is higher, and every step is miserable. It's called "heat stress". There are more variables than just the air temperature in heat stress. The humidity, air velocity, and the amount of thermal radiation also must be taken into account. Exercising on a warm, sunny day with calm winds is more difficult than exercising in the same air temperature with cloud cover and a slight breeze. Also, the sweat that forms during light sweating contains less sodium and chloride than when the sweating rate increases. A high sweating rate decreases blood volume which reduces performance. Unfortunately, I am a heavy sweater. Even my hands and the inside of my ears sweat. (I can't wear earbuds for my Ipod because the sweat makes them fall out.) I have one sports bra that shows the sweat more than others and for some reason, it seems to collect in two spots on my chest. That bra has gone to Goodwill.
The good news is that we can acclimatize to exercise in the heat. After exercising for an hour or more each day for 5 to 10 days, cardiovascular changes, as well as changes in our sweating mechanism will occur. Could I possibly start to sweat like a normal person after just 10 days of training? Maybe I should have kept that sports bra.
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