SATURDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Heat cramps, heat
exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke are risks when
exercising or playing sports during the summer, but they can be
prevented by taking a few simple precautions, advises a Medical
College of Georgia expert.
Heat illness occurs when the body loses its ability to cool
itself, Tim McLane, a certified athletic trainer at the MCGHealth
Sports Medicine Center, said in a news release from MCGHealth. In
normal conditions, the body uses sweat evaporation to cool itself
during exercise. But hot, humid weather hinders sweat evaporation,
which increases the risk of heat illness, he explained.
McLane offered the following safety tips:
- During practices or games, alert your coach or trainer if you
don't feel well.
- In order to acclimate to hot, humid conditions, gradually boost
your workout intensity and duration over 10 to 14 days.
- Wearing loose-fitting, light-colored clothing helps disperse
body heat.
- Limit strenuous exercise to early morning or late evening when
temperatures are cooler. If you have to exercise in the middle of
the day, limit your intensity and increase the length of your
breaks.
- Stay in the shade as much as possible.
- Don't take salt tablets -- they may help with cramps but do not
prevent heat illness.
- Monitor your hydration by checking body weight. The ideal way
to determine sweat loss is to weigh yourself before and after
exercise.
Dehydration -- a major risk factor for heat illness -- can occur
in as little as 30 minutes if you're exercising in hot, humid
conditions, McLane said. Athletes should drink fluids regularly
because waiting until you feel thirsty may be too late. By then,
you may have already lost about 2 percent of body weight as
sweat.
Drink at least 16 ounces of fluid about two hours before
exercise and drink at least 7 to 10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20
minutes during exercise, McLane recommends. After exercise, drink
24 ounces per pound of body weight lost through sweat.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more
tips for preventing heat-related illness.