Heat Management and Water - you and your dog

[franksj]

I thought I'd share some lessons learned today when I thought of blasting up to 20,000 steps today.

Today was hot (high 90 degrees, 84% humidity).  I packed up the backpack with a dish for Scout's water and some trail mix for me.  I filled my water bottle to the brim (about 16 oz).

Water

At about 3,000 steps we were both hot so I gave Scout a bowl and drank a good bit leaving about 8 oz left.  Uh oh.  Not gonna have enough water.

At 6,000 steps I partitioned out the rest to both of us.  I was feeling good, but was worried about Scout.  He was panting quite a bit and was drinking all the water I gave him.

I started looking for outside faucets.  At about 10,000 steps there was a baseball stadium so we stopped there, took a break and filled our stomachs and filled the water bottle.

You can see Scout's tongue is a cobra tongue meaning he is having some trouble keeping cool.  More flaired surface area means more cooling.

I was still feeling pretty good.  Finished off the trail mix.  Had my fill of water and headed home.

Heat Management and heart rate

On the way back I home, I started feeling tired and hot.  I was monitoring my heart rate and the whole walk up till now I was in a great fat burn range: 100-116 bpm.  The around 14,000 steps I noticed the heart rate started to rise.  I wasn't going at a faster rate nor was it much of an incline.  The heart rate kept rising until I was flirting with my max rate around 160.  I realized that my body was having trouble keeping me cool.  I stopped immediately and had a drink in the shade.

Interestingly, Scout wasn't interested in much more water.  So rather than waste half a bowl I dumped it on me.  Over the head and down the back.  It felt very cold and very good.

Within a minute my heart rate was back down to 100-109 giving confirmation that I was uder some heat stress.  I kept going but everytime the heart rate got up near peak levels, I would stop and repeat the water and cooling. Whatever Scout didn't drink went over me.

I got home a few hours ago and we are doing fine.  Feeling tired and good about hitting the goal of 20,000 steps today.  Some lessons learned...

1. Take a lot more water than you think.  I took 16 ozs and should have taken 48 ozs.  If today is normal then 24 ozs per 10,000 steps would be about right for me.

2. Remember your dog's need for cooling too and monitor their state - especially the cobra tongue.

3. Monitor your heart rate in the heat.  It will tell you when your body is having trouble keeping cool.  When the heart rate starts to rise when there is no external reason (no incline, no increased exertion) remember the heat issue.  Stop, hydrate, and stay in the shade until it calms down. 

4.  Also when I got home I didn't stop moving.  You want your heart rate up because your blood needs to keep recirculating to help with the cooling.

5. Thank goodness for a heart rate monitor on my Fitbit.  The data helped me today avoid a real issue.

Hope this is helpful and will keep someone else from getting into trouble.

All the best,

Jim

[Odyssey13]

Thanks for sharing that @franksj  Nicely detailed and well written.

I'm glad you and Scout made it home safely. Heat can be quite hard on humans and canines. He's a good looking dog.

You have one of those cooling down towels? They are the ones you can get wet, snap them and they give the wearer a nice cool feeling. I have one from Mission. Actually saw where Walmart carries them, too.

Take care.

[Raviv]

This one is going to sound odd, but bear with me.  I used work outside, walking a whole lot in direct sun and on pavement in one of the hottest parts of the country.

When you drink water, keep an eye on how much because you will also need to replace your electrolytes.  Drinking water is good (really good) and you probably need more than you think.  But make sure you somehow replace the minerals you need too or (at best) you'll end up with a headache or (at worst) you can make yourself seriously ill.  If you're only drinking a couple of water bottles full, then it's not a big thing.  But if you're out in it all day and literally drinking a gallon or so, then you need to start thinking about it.

You can use Gatorade, coconut water works okay if you eat Paleo/Primal or are just trying to eat more naturally, and you can even make your own with some pretty common ingredients.  Recipes are all over the internet.

My favorite trick to keep cool was to either saturate my hat with cold water or to do the same thing with a bandana and wear it Rosie the Riveter style.  It keeps your head cool, and that does a lot to keep the rest of you cool.  You can also wear the bandana loosely around your neck, and that helps too.  Bandanas and hats are great equipment in hot weather.

[N2K9s]

The walking w/ your dog was very interesting and informative. Thank you! 

[Colinm39]

---

@franksj wrote:

I thought I'd share some lessons learned today when I thought of blasting up to 20,000 steps today.

Today was hot (high 90 degrees, 84% humidity).  I packed up the backpack with a dish for Scout's water and some trail mix for me.  I filled my water bottle to the brim (about 16 oz).

Water

At about 3,000 steps we were both hot so I gave Scout a bowl and drank a good bit leaving about 8 oz left.  Uh oh.  Not gonna have enough water.

At 6,000 steps I partitioned out the rest to both of us.  I was feeling good, but was worried about Scout.  He was panting quite a bit and was drinking all the water I gave him.

I started looking for outside faucets.  At about 10,000 steps there was a baseball stadium so we stopped there, took a break and filled our stomachs and filled the water bottle.

You can see Scout's tongue is a cobra tongue meaning he is having some trouble keeping cool.  More flaired surface area means more cooling.

I was still feeling pretty good.  Finished off the trail mix.  Had my fill of water and headed home.

Heat Management and heart rate

On the way back I home, I started feeling tired and hot.  I was monitoring my heart rate and the whole walk up till now I was in a great fat burn range: 100-116 bpm.  The around mile 7 I noticed the heart rate started to rise.  I wasn't going at a faster rate nor was it much of an incline.  The heart rate kept rising until I was flirting with my max rate around 160.  I realized that my body was having trouble keeping me cool.  I stopped immediately and had a drink in the shade.

Interestingly, Scout wasn't interested in much more water.  So rather than waste half a bowl I dumped it on me.  Over the head and down the back.  It felt very cold and very good.

Within a minute my heart rate was back down to 100-109 giving confirmation that I was uder some heat stress.  I kept going but everytime the heart rate got up near peak levels, I would stop and repeat the water and cooling. Whatever Scout didn't drink went over me.

I got home a few hours ago and we are doing fine.  Feeling tired and good about hitting the goal of 20,000 steps today.  Some lessons learned...

1. Take a lot more water than you think.  I took 16 ozs and should have taken 48 ozs.  If today is normal then 24 ozs per 10,000 steps would be about right for me.

2. Remember your dog's need for cooling too and monitor their state - especially the cobra tongue.

3. Monitor your heart rate in the heat.  It will tell you when your body is having trouble keeping cool.  When the heart rate starts to rise when there is no external reason (no incline, no increased exertion) remember the heat issue.  Stop, hydrate, and stay in the shade until it calms down. 

4.  Also when I got home I didn't stop moving.  You want your heart rate up because your blood needs to keep recirculating to help with the cooling.

5. Thank goodness for a heart rate monitor on my Fitbit.  The data helped me today avoid a real issue.

Hope this is helpful and will keep someone else from getting into trouble.

All the best,

Jim

---

@franksj Well described. I have been posting to get the same message across based on that all HRM's assume your muscles are working when your pulse increases.

I'm recovering from a total hip replacement and because I have a lower RHR it has been averaging around 70 bpm instead of 54 bpm.  End result up 90% in the Fat burning zone while lying in bed....

I have been using the Surge Workout option while asleep, and during the day. My calories burned have been blown out of the water on an average of 4,000 steps/day post op.

[franksj]

Thanks Odyssey13,

I got the towel and the headband.  They would have helped that day, wouldn't they?  Thanks for connecting and sharing.

Best,

Jim

[franksj]

Raviv,

Thanks for the post.  Electrolytes are indeed important.  Just pure water will wash out your minerals and electrolytes and could be a real problem as you suggest.  Thanks for sharing!

Best,

Jim

[franksj]

Colin,

Thanks.  Hope you heal well and fully.

Best,

Jim

[HelenaFitbit]

Thank you for sharing this information @franksj, I believe @PeterA will find this useful when walking around with his new puppy 

[WendyB]

@franksj This is great info! Thanks for sharing!

[loveabull]

Just to be on the safe side and to avoid heatstroke and burned pads I would advise you to walk a dog after maybe 5pm on really hot humid days. Dogs and humans can both get sunburned badly mid-afternoon. It also can be difficult for the furrier breeds. Heat, humidity while wearing a fur coat WOOF. Also short snouted pups like the bully breeds and boxers can have breathing problems exerting themselves in the heat. Safer to wait till late afternoon, evening or early morning.

[franksj]

Good advice!  Thanks!

[CaliSeaBreeze]

Excellent post.  I remember walking my dog one morning and the California heat caught up with us.  My poor dog was shaking his paws from walking on the sidewalk and street, walking home.  I would walk him on the lawns when I could.  Be careful with their paws, they get burned while we have on shoes. 

[N2K9s]

On walking the dogs in this heat. Remember that they regulate their temps through their pads and tongues. Also when it’s hot watch their feet don’t get burned on hot black top
parking lots, sidewalks, even sand gets really hot. I would suggest that each time you hydrate, to pour a little water on their pads and give them a drink from your hand . If you
wet them down, it’s best to do it from underneath. On their belly area. Glad to see a lot of you are including your dogs in your journey. They are simply the best friends ever !!!