I love working out in the heat. My body feels so amped and ready to perform when I'm sweating during a workout. Sometimes it will take me more than 20 minutes to warm up when it's cold, but I can get started and be ready to work hard within 5 minutes on a hot day.
There are few practices more cathartic than sweating your ass off all day, then taking a cold shower later that evening before you go to bed. Slept like a baby when I did this on Saturday!!
Have you done any research on LMNT or LiquidIV or any of those salty hydration products? They are absolutely having a moment right now and it seems like everyone is drinking them all the time. I drink LMNT when I'm in the middle of a 24-hour fast, but I get the feeling that they shouldn't be consumed as often as I'm seeing. I definitely feel like the average American doesn't struggle with getting enough salt in their diet, and it seems crazy to add more on top of what most people are already getting.
Kinda random, but I think the hydration conversation could go even further than what you've already started in this article! There are so many hydration fads to examine. Sports drinks, salty drinks, Mobile IV units, so many things.
I wrote about this awhile back. Look up the 2% Hydration Guide.
In short: I like hydration sticks that fall under the WHO oral rehydration salt guidelines. Those usually contain a few grams of sugar (usually 40-ish calories for a stick). The sugar helps your body absorb the electrolytes. LiquidIV falls under those guidelines. LMNT does not. So I typically use LiquidIV if I feel like I need an electrolyte supplement, which is usually hot settings where I'm exercising for more than 1 hour and sweating a lot (e.g., a long trail run). I don't use them in daily life—most people are plenty hydrated if they have access to clean water.
Can you elaborate on the humidity bubble? I tend to sweat a lot and it is always super humid here in KC in the summer. Not sure what the takeaway should be for this one.
I have never blossomed in the heat, but I used to tolerate it much better. After menopause, though, I find I don't handle hot, humid temperatures very well at all. I started getting nauseous, dizzy, and blacking out on mountain bike rides in humid conditions (which is most of the time here on the East Coast). It got so bad that I switched to gravel biking during the summer for a while.
LMNT was a game changer; I can now make it through a ride without vomiting or blacking out, but I still definitely suffer in the humidity. I'm a very heavy sweater, and our local riding is slow tech so there's not much of a breeze.
Dry heat doesn't seem to bother me nearly as much. I've ridden in Nevada and Utah in 90-100 degree temps and as long as I had enough water I was fine. But the muggy East Coast just kills me.
Since I work from home and don't have central AC, I'm experimenting with not putting my window unit in my office this summer to see if that helps me acclimate better. I'm on Day 2 of being very hot and I can't say I've been terribly productive...
As I get older (over 60), working or working out in the heat is harder for me to do. I take more breaks and do not work during the heat of the day. It is all about balance. Managing my body’s output within the confines of my physical environment.
Good observation. Heat sensitivity rises with age. The practical takeaway is to just be more mindful of the heat as you age. Be a bit more careful, dial back earlier.
This is very interesting. As a farmer, the first week of hot work is brutal. We are all sluggish and not anywhere close to top speed. Its crazy how eventually 95-100 degrees feels like no big deal. Being in Oregon, I try to suck in all the heat and suns rays into my "battery" to live off of for 7 months of winter (haha).
I’m from Finland, land of the sauna, so the section on the Finnish study caught my eye. Just wanted to throw in a couple of quick thoughts:
I’ve been experimenting with a CGM lately (not diabetic, just curious), and I’ve noticed a clear pattern: after a sauna (~85°C or 185°F) followed by a few minutes in the lake (~15°C or 60°F), my blood glucose dips sharply from a stable baseline and settles slightly back or slightly lower to baseline afterward. My resting heart rate also hits its daily low after this combo and I feel very serene and at ease. It's like getting a cardio session just by sitting still and cooling off.
On the cultural note: in Finland, sauna isn’t usually gym-related. It’s more of a daily wind-down and wash-up ritual whether you're at home, at the cottage, or even in the city. We also have almost 1 sauna per household here (seriously, 0.85 saunas per home!), so sauna is more a part of normal life, than a “health habit.”
Thanks for putting this together, heat is such an underrated tool.
Interesting data and thanks for the post. I don't mind the heat and living in Phoenix you have to deal with it if you want to do anything outside. The older I get it does seem it takes longer to acclimate to it I feel fine. Always have 3L of water and 3L of electrolyte solution when out hiking during the summer. I prefer the Tailwind Endurance fuel for longer hikes.
Love the heat! Being born and raised in Florida I grew up without AC, just box fans in the windows. My Mother did not get AC until she got a window unit in 1968 when I left for college(go figure!). Of course, it was relatively cooler(?) because we still had trees In the environment and didn't "pave over Paradise" yet. As AC became more prevalent, I found that my heat tolerance decreased. The extremes between 76 degrees and ambient (90s) was harder to adjust to.
Over the next 50 or 60 years, I developed a strategy that enabled me to survive in Florida heat and humidity (I had a son in law from Fresno who hated Florida because of the humidity instead of desert heat-in Florida you know you're getting dehydrated by the sweating, in the desert you just dry up and look like the cattle skulls shown in the Westerns!)
But I digress, my strategy: Acclimation-I spend most of my daylight hours on my back porch, year around. Help with heat,
cold, diffuse sunlight.
Adaptation-I increase salt/electrolytes via
pickles, pickle juice, Apple Cider Vinegar
and EmergenC. I don't think that Gatorade or Powerade are effective for dehydration because; every year we watch football teams sweating thru a game with giant buckets of "ades" (also good for dousing coaches!) on the sidelines, and in over 90%, games are stopped for cramps and dehydration! If they did what they advertise (thru research of Gatorade Institute, etc), should never happen! Buyer
Beware! Nuff said! I don't take saunas except when I get into my car in the Summer when it's been sitting in the sun and wait for it to cool down!
Spicy foods help but research shows more likely used to kill bacteria in Equatorial climates! Keeping sweating and don't die! Love Charlie
I have never blossomed in the heat, but I used to tolerate it much better. After menopause, though, I find I don't handle hot, humid temperatures very well at all. I started getting nauseous, dizzy, and blacking out on mountain bike rides in humid conditions (which is most of the time here on the East Coast). It got so bad that I switched to gravel biking during the summer for a while.
LMNT was a game changer; I can now make it through a ride without vomiting or blacking out, but I still definitely suffer in the humidity. I'm a very heavy sweater, and our local riding is slow tech so there's not much of a breeze.
Dry heat doesn't seem to bother me nearly as much. I've ridden in Nevada and Utah in 90-100 degree temps and as long as I had enough water I was fine. But the muggy East Coast just kills me.
Since I work from home and don't have central AC, I'm experimenting with not putting my window unit in my office this summer to see if that helps me acclimate better. I'm on Day 2 of being very hot and I can't say I've been terribly productive...
I love working out in the heat. My body feels so amped and ready to perform when I'm sweating during a workout. Sometimes it will take me more than 20 minutes to warm up when it's cold, but I can get started and be ready to work hard within 5 minutes on a hot day.
There are few practices more cathartic than sweating your ass off all day, then taking a cold shower later that evening before you go to bed. Slept like a baby when I did this on Saturday!!
Have you done any research on LMNT or LiquidIV or any of those salty hydration products? They are absolutely having a moment right now and it seems like everyone is drinking them all the time. I drink LMNT when I'm in the middle of a 24-hour fast, but I get the feeling that they shouldn't be consumed as often as I'm seeing. I definitely feel like the average American doesn't struggle with getting enough salt in their diet, and it seems crazy to add more on top of what most people are already getting.
Kinda random, but I think the hydration conversation could go even further than what you've already started in this article! There are so many hydration fads to examine. Sports drinks, salty drinks, Mobile IV units, so many things.
I wrote about this awhile back. Look up the 2% Hydration Guide.
In short: I like hydration sticks that fall under the WHO oral rehydration salt guidelines. Those usually contain a few grams of sugar (usually 40-ish calories for a stick). The sugar helps your body absorb the electrolytes. LiquidIV falls under those guidelines. LMNT does not. So I typically use LiquidIV if I feel like I need an electrolyte supplement, which is usually hot settings where I'm exercising for more than 1 hour and sweating a lot (e.g., a long trail run). I don't use them in daily life—most people are plenty hydrated if they have access to clean water.
Does that answer your question?
Yes it does! And I totally remember that article now haha. I’ll go read up for a refresher! Thank you!
Can you elaborate on the humidity bubble? I tend to sweat a lot and it is always super humid here in KC in the summer. Not sure what the takeaway should be for this one.
Get as much air circulating around you! That breaks up the bubble and allows your sweat to do its job.
Just got the first air quality alert of the summer here in Georgia... any advice on managing outside exercise with high ozone or other irritants?
I have never blossomed in the heat, but I used to tolerate it much better. After menopause, though, I find I don't handle hot, humid temperatures very well at all. I started getting nauseous, dizzy, and blacking out on mountain bike rides in humid conditions (which is most of the time here on the East Coast). It got so bad that I switched to gravel biking during the summer for a while.
LMNT was a game changer; I can now make it through a ride without vomiting or blacking out, but I still definitely suffer in the humidity. I'm a very heavy sweater, and our local riding is slow tech so there's not much of a breeze.
Dry heat doesn't seem to bother me nearly as much. I've ridden in Nevada and Utah in 90-100 degree temps and as long as I had enough water I was fine. But the muggy East Coast just kills me.
Since I work from home and don't have central AC, I'm experimenting with not putting my window unit in my office this summer to see if that helps me acclimate better. I'm on Day 2 of being very hot and I can't say I've been terribly productive...
As I get older (over 60), working or working out in the heat is harder for me to do. I take more breaks and do not work during the heat of the day. It is all about balance. Managing my body’s output within the confines of my physical environment.
Good observation. Heat sensitivity rises with age. The practical takeaway is to just be more mindful of the heat as you age. Be a bit more careful, dial back earlier.
It sucketh to get old!!!
This is very interesting. As a farmer, the first week of hot work is brutal. We are all sluggish and not anywhere close to top speed. Its crazy how eventually 95-100 degrees feels like no big deal. Being in Oregon, I try to suck in all the heat and suns rays into my "battery" to live off of for 7 months of winter (haha).
Really enjoyed this one, Michael.
I’m from Finland, land of the sauna, so the section on the Finnish study caught my eye. Just wanted to throw in a couple of quick thoughts:
I’ve been experimenting with a CGM lately (not diabetic, just curious), and I’ve noticed a clear pattern: after a sauna (~85°C or 185°F) followed by a few minutes in the lake (~15°C or 60°F), my blood glucose dips sharply from a stable baseline and settles slightly back or slightly lower to baseline afterward. My resting heart rate also hits its daily low after this combo and I feel very serene and at ease. It's like getting a cardio session just by sitting still and cooling off.
On the cultural note: in Finland, sauna isn’t usually gym-related. It’s more of a daily wind-down and wash-up ritual whether you're at home, at the cottage, or even in the city. We also have almost 1 sauna per household here (seriously, 0.85 saunas per home!), so sauna is more a part of normal life, than a “health habit.”
Thanks for putting this together, heat is such an underrated tool.
I appreciate all the resources on sauna and health - I’ve heard they are good for you but I never knew how or why.
Also, I hate the heat. Maybe if I think “this is good for me” I’ll hate it a little less.
Interesting data and thanks for the post. I don't mind the heat and living in Phoenix you have to deal with it if you want to do anything outside. The older I get it does seem it takes longer to acclimate to it I feel fine. Always have 3L of water and 3L of electrolyte solution when out hiking during the summer. I prefer the Tailwind Endurance fuel for longer hikes.
Love the heat! Being born and raised in Florida I grew up without AC, just box fans in the windows. My Mother did not get AC until she got a window unit in 1968 when I left for college(go figure!). Of course, it was relatively cooler(?) because we still had trees In the environment and didn't "pave over Paradise" yet. As AC became more prevalent, I found that my heat tolerance decreased. The extremes between 76 degrees and ambient (90s) was harder to adjust to.
Over the next 50 or 60 years, I developed a strategy that enabled me to survive in Florida heat and humidity (I had a son in law from Fresno who hated Florida because of the humidity instead of desert heat-in Florida you know you're getting dehydrated by the sweating, in the desert you just dry up and look like the cattle skulls shown in the Westerns!)
But I digress, my strategy: Acclimation-I spend most of my daylight hours on my back porch, year around. Help with heat,
cold, diffuse sunlight.
Adaptation-I increase salt/electrolytes via
pickles, pickle juice, Apple Cider Vinegar
and EmergenC. I don't think that Gatorade or Powerade are effective for dehydration because; every year we watch football teams sweating thru a game with giant buckets of "ades" (also good for dousing coaches!) on the sidelines, and in over 90%, games are stopped for cramps and dehydration! If they did what they advertise (thru research of Gatorade Institute, etc), should never happen! Buyer
Beware! Nuff said! I don't take saunas except when I get into my car in the Summer when it's been sitting in the sun and wait for it to cool down!
Spicy foods help but research shows more likely used to kill bacteria in Equatorial climates! Keeping sweating and don't die! Love Charlie
Unrelated question- did stop doing podcasts on Apple?
We're currently making a few changes to the podcast. Those will be announced soon and they'll give us a lot more useful information.
Right now, we're running audio reads through the audio bar in posts. More info to come. Sit tight!
I have never blossomed in the heat, but I used to tolerate it much better. After menopause, though, I find I don't handle hot, humid temperatures very well at all. I started getting nauseous, dizzy, and blacking out on mountain bike rides in humid conditions (which is most of the time here on the East Coast). It got so bad that I switched to gravel biking during the summer for a while.
LMNT was a game changer; I can now make it through a ride without vomiting or blacking out, but I still definitely suffer in the humidity. I'm a very heavy sweater, and our local riding is slow tech so there's not much of a breeze.
Dry heat doesn't seem to bother me nearly as much. I've ridden in Nevada and Utah in 90-100 degree temps and as long as I had enough water I was fine. But the muggy East Coast just kills me.
Since I work from home and don't have central AC, I'm experimenting with not putting my window unit in my office this summer to see if that helps me acclimate better. I'm on Day 2 of being very hot and I can't say I've been terribly productive...