The weather has been beautiful and we hope that the summer stays warm and sunny. Sports in the summer can be quite a challenge, how do you keep it fun and healthy for yourself? I myself have a little bit of trouble with this, but I still want to continue to exercise, because exercising makes me feel better. Below 8 cooling down tips to put on t those running shoes.
Drink enough
Jup, open door, but oh so important. Drink plenty of water in advance, drink water while running and drink plenty of water after running. What is enough? This depends of course on your construction (weight, height, etc.),the temprature and how long you will be exercising. You should do the following: drink about half a liter of water in the two hours before you exercise. During the exercise you can choose to take a sip of water from time to time, take it easy, a slobbering belly is really annoying, but you can also get serious cramps. Than you can drink more.
Do not put on too many clothes
Wear light clothing and especially not too much. If you feel insecure in shorts, wear three-quarter pants or airy longer pants. Running is not a fashion show (this is a wise lesson from my mother). Put on a cap, so your head stays cooler. Wear a sweatband around your wrist, nice and retro, but very practical.
Listen to signals from your body
There it is again: take it easy and see what your body can handle. Do you feel dizzy, take that seriously, go for a walk for example. Your body needs time to get used to the heat, give it time. I personally find it a challenge in the first warm days, that’s why I give myself the time to get used to it.
Lubricate yourself
Another open door, but many forget to lubricate during exercise. You are outside and your skin is exposed to the sun: so lubricate yourself.
Do breathing exercises
Because of the heat, your heart rate may be slightly higher, so before you start running, do a 2-minute breathing exercise. You start your training in this way. You can also consciously listen to your body: how do you feel at this moment? Make sure during your training that your breathing is not too high, this can be annoying, especially in the heat. While walking, you can consciously keep an eye on your breathing so that your heart rate is not too high. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. After the training you can sit down for another 5 minute breathing exercise. This way you give your body time to recover and your heartbeat will become a bit quieter again. So you immediately sweat out. A breathing exercise looks like this:
BREATH IN (through your nose)
BREATH OUT (through your nose)
Break
Repeat (2 to 5 minutes)
Try to take a breath, focus on this. Make sure it is a natural breath, so not very deep and the break does not have to be uncomfortable. Learn more about breathing here.
Take a cold shower
There is nothing nicer than a fresh shower after a workout. Start with a normal temperature and put the shower on the last moment very cold: keep breathing quietly. Your body cools off nicely and at the same time gets a frightening reaction. This creates energy. In addition, every day a cold shower is very good for the resistance. Later follows a more extensive blog about this!
Sweat
If you start practicing sports, it sometimes takes some getting used to suddenly sweating a lot. Sweating is not bad and just a sign that your body is draining your heat well. After all, sweating is not something to be ashamed of when exercising. From the heat you can become very languid, but by still going you will get some energy and sweat the languid feeling out of your body.
Walk at a cool moment
Finally: in the early morning or late evening it is often cooler, the sun is not so bright and it is also nice and quiet on the street. A good time for sports.
Do you have cooling tips yourself? Let us know below.
