The nights are hot, people are sporting tank tops in the morning, and flip-flops have replaced the usual foot attire for the standard grocery store visits. As temperatures rise to the mid to upper nineties later in the afternoon and kids on summer vacation run rampant as raucous laughter fills the streets, we know it’s officially summertime. Napa Valley is one of the most beautiful places to be present during the summer months. The vineyards lace the hillsides spanning up and down Highway 29 and Silverado Trail, mustard flowers create a variant of shocking yellow and vibrant green against the grassy hillsides soaking up the photosynthetic glory of the sun, and the blue skies present an unforgettable backdrop along the horizon of the valley’s mountain ranges. The inhabitants of Napa are indeed a lucky group of people. However, during the summer, it gets bloody hot.
During the summer, we have the opportunity to be outside more than the winter months we endured a few months ago. We don’t have to worry about bundling up in a rainproof coat to dodge the rain. This rainless and sunny climate grants an optimal opportunity to partake in recreational physical activities including walking through downtown Napa, taking a stroll along the riverfront trail at Kennedy Park, or taking a brief hike up Bothe State Park. Since we don’t have the rain to create a wet and muddy environment, we might be able to catch up on painting the side of the house, building an outdoor shed, or having the opportunity to tend to our veggie garden. While all of these outdoor activities can be accomplished thanks to the summer season, we face the threat of being exposed to the blistering afternoon sun beating down on our bodies and toasting our bodies like a baguette in a bread oven. Finding an optimal time to exercise and circumvent the heat can optimize our physical activity experiences.
To support our physical activity endeavors throughout the summer, having a body that is conditioned for the activities we enjoy is critically important. However, participating in a bout of exercise during extreme heat is a fantastic way to deter someone from their fitness compliance. Driving to the gym and walking across the searing hot asphalt pavement into the sliding glass doors of a local gym after enduring a day in the high nineties isn’t the most desirable. Minor dehydration, lethargy, and irritability are common bi-products of existing in one of the heat waves that commonly pass through the Napa Valley. To get the most out of these summer months and adhere to a consistent exercise program, preparing for the obstacles the hot environment offers can help us get the most out of our exercise habits. We just need to plan a little bit.
Temperatures don’t break the eighty-degree mark until later in the morning. The brisk and refreshing morning air can be as much as forty degrees lower than the hot afternoon climate from the previous day. Initiating exercise when the mind feels relieved from the previous day’s heat is an opportunistic time to take advantage of allocating time to exercise. Exercising earlier in the day during extreme heat avoids the daunting effects of grinding through a steamy, swelteringly hot workout later on in the afternoon.
It should come as no surprise that water evaporates faster with an increase in heat. Similar to the way steam comes out of a boiling pot of water, water is emitted from humans in hotter climates. In other words, we dehydrate at an increased rate during these summer months. If we don’t hydrate a little more often than what we’re used to during an average day, our bodies will transform from the composition of a grape full of water to a dried-up raisin with a thick, slurry-like consistency of concentrated sugar. Imagine exercising in a state where the body is hydrated with a steady flow of hydrated blood delivering oxygen and nutrients to the organs and working muscles versus exercising while the body is in a raisin-like state with thick viscous blood. I’m sure a few of our readers enjoy eating delicious raisins. However, without going into the physiology of why thick, dehydrated blood isn’t optimal for exercise, I’m sure we can appreciate that exercising while our body is akin to the composition of dried-up fruit won’t be as productive as exercising in a proficiently hydrated state.
To counteract the dehydrating effects the hotter summer months impose upon us, being mindful of hydration tactics is a solution that can help us move better. A helpful tactic we recommend to our personal training clients to assist in obtaining adequate hydration is to ensure to drink a full glass of water first in the morning after waking. Additionally, using the cue of consuming a full glass of water after each meal is another useful tactic to keep up with the steady intake of water into the body.
The summer months offer Napa some of the most breathtaking experiences. However, along with the beauty placed before us, we sometimes get extreme heat. Remember that exercise before the heat strikes and staying hydrated are key ingredients To get the most out of this amazing time of year and stay healthy enough to enjoy it.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
