Walking/working out in summer?

[megs1980]

Does anyone have any suggestions about working out and walking in the summer?  It's starting to get hot here in NC already in the mid 80's.  I usually walk with my dogs for 3-5 miles, but taking them is becoming less and less of an option as it's just too hot for my 10 year old to go that far in this heat.  It's hard to get motivated to get out when it's so hot even if I wait until the evening.  Gym membership is not really an option due to money 😞 

What all do you do to keep active/get in steps in the heat?

Thanks all!
Meghan

[WendyB]

I always go out first thing in the morning. But Im an early riser.

But there are DVD's all kinds if thats an option. Dont know about the dogs thoas they need to walk as well

But I use a lot of Leslie Sansone indoor walking

[jmkoon]

My office is above a mall.  We had an awful winter in Chicago and sometimes at lunch I would go down to the mall and walk around a floor, go up or down a floor, walk around that floor, go up or down a floor, walk around that floor, and so on.  If there is a mall near you - I would reccommend taking up mall-walking.

[Liz_J]

Hi I live in Australia so we are heading into winter although most of May has still been warm. At Christmas I was going for my early walk with dogs around 6 then my walk/ run at 8.30 pm. There were lots out doing the same as it was hot. Now it's dark at 5.30 so I go then because later there's no one around and in winter it will be cold. I put dinner on then go.

[Liz_J]

I did something similar on my cruise in January. Walked along floors , up,stairs , along deck and it was easy to get 10000.

[Caity · Accepted solution]

When I have problems motivating myself to walk I break it down into two smaller walks. With the heat I’d suggest taking one as early as you can in the morning before it gets too hot and then try to take the second one in the evening that way it both easier to make time for it if these aren’t the usual times you walk and less time out in the heat if it’s still warm out.

[TandemWalker]

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@Caity wrote:

When I have problems motivating myself to walk I break it down into two smaller walks. With the heat I’d suggest taking one as early as you can in the morning before it gets too hot and then try to take the second one in the evening that way it both easier to make time for it if these aren’t the usual times you walk and less time out in the heat if it’s still warm out.

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That is very sound advice, along with trying to schedule my walks early in the morning or later in the evening when it's much cooler. But I also kept a pair of PJ I used to wear when I was 40 lbs heavier and some 10 inches wider around the belly button! When I don't feel like it, I go to the closet, pull them out and try them on! FOR ME, THAT IS THE BEST MOTIVATOR EVER!

[josephz2va]

There's always 7am when the malls open for walkers. Nobody's home until 11am when the malls officially open. Honestly I prefer sinking the money in and using a gym. It's not healthy this year to hit the parks and there's more to lose weight and getting fit than running a trail.

[Spang]

My summer workouts are comprised of bicycling 15 to 30 miles a day. I try and start about 7 am and earlier when in Mesa, AZ. I have found that I am getting more susceptible to the heat as I get older. I will try and ride 4 to 6 times a week as I do not have to teach during the summer. I will also get to a few Tour de Cure training rides in the Austin, TX area and then in September I will ride the Tour de Cure Central Texas. 

When riding and ride that will take more than an hour I take powerade and a protein bar or two. My expenditure of carbs is high when riding and to keep form losing muscle I must replenish both the carbs and protein. If I do not eat a bit every 20 min. or so I will bonk. I am told that I should take my BG every hour but I forget:> 

[slysam]

This may not help the OP, but one of my summer go-to workouts is taking a water exercise class at my local public swimming pool. The pool has an unheated, outdoor pool that is only open in the summer and I find it a good way to be outside, get a good workout without getting overheated. I usually walk to and from the pool if weather permits, but my city has free, air conditioned bus service so I sometimes take the bus. Otherwise I workout at home (uusally) and just try to time it for cooler parts of the day and adjust the intensity to my comfort level. Last summer I joined a gym for 3 months, and I may again this summer.  But I don't always do that. 

[thedancinghiker]

To answer your question of how I stay active, I usually try to go for walks in the early morning, or late in the evening. I also take dance classes at a studio that's air conditioned.

Do you have room in your house for an elliptical, treadmill, etc? I know you said that money is an issue, but you'd be suprised at how cheaply you can find fully functioning machines from Craigslist, and garage sales. Even if you can't afford big equipment, maybe a stepper like this or this can help? I have a mini trampoline similar to this one that I keep inside. You can walk on them, jog, jump, etc.

If you do have space but it's too hot, can you set up lots of fans, a swamp cooler, or open the windows early in the morning? .

If you like hiking, perhaps you can research hikes in your areas that are mostly shaded. That way, you don't have to wait until the late evening to exercise outdoors.

Hope you find something that works!

[megs1980]

Do you know if the stepper or trampoline would count your steps/bounces as steps on the fitbit band?  The little trampoline does look like kind of fun!  It would scare the tar out of my one dog, but that's ok.  She can go in the other room.

[thedancinghiker]

I'm not sure about the stepper (though I'd imagine it does) but my trampoline counts bounces as steps. Sears sells one that's foldable, if space is an issue.

[TandemWalker]

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@megs1980 wrote:

Do you know if the stepper or trampoline would count your steps/bounces as steps on the fitbit band?  The little trampoline does look like kind of fun!  It would scare the tar out of my one dog, but that's ok.  She can go in the other room.

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Actually @Colinm39  could at a lot to this thread - let's hope is listening in! Are you there Colin?

[slysam]

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@megs1980 wrote:

Do you know if the stepper or trampoline would count your steps/bounces as steps on the fitbit band?  The little trampoline does look like kind of fun!  It would scare the tar out of my one dog, but that's ok.  She can go in the other room.

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It counts jumping as steps. My One works great with jumproping--the calorie burn actually has matched my heart rate monitor many times or has been close if not matching. From other discussions, I am under the impression it over-credits rebounding though. The assumption the programming makes is you are powering the movement with your muscles and you likely would jump higher on a trampolie than yu could without. I think this is common issue with activity tracking accelerometers though. I use to take a swim class at a university. The building that housed the pool also housed the exercise science depeartment and they would often display posters of the departments research publications. Once there was a display about a study involving using accelerometers to track activity in children. It mentioned that trampolining was a popular activity among the children that was overcredited while cycling was a popular activity that was undercredited. The children apparently keps a diary of what activities they did each day and they compared it to the tracker's data. I would probably log rebounding *if* you care about the calorie burn estimate. If you are ust using it for activity tracking, you would probably be fine to just wear your fitbit.

[FB_Opus]

When I started in January, I could walk during my lunch hour and not sweat badly but as the seasons changed I had to re-think this strategy.  In late April I switched to early AM walks (up at 4:30) and honestly I enjoy them more then my old lunch hour routine. I can push it harder (now up to 6.5-7.5 miles per session) and not worry about being a sopping mess when done since I'll just jump in the shower.  The bonuses are that I'm not mentally awake until about 2.5-3 miles in and that the Flex is 'happy' (5 lights) when I'm done since I hit my goals for the day (anything afterwards is 'gravy' [bonus]). 

I also added Krav Maga and Yoga to my routine (3x's a week former, 1x a week latter) and thankfully the studio is air conditioned (LOL - gotta love that free AC!)

[Snapdragon]

I try to get some steps in during the day at work and found that if I try to step out and take a 10-15 min walk several times throughout the day, I get a lot of steps in (I usually get in 1700-2000 steps in on each walk/ 15,000+ daily). Its short enough that I just start to break a sweat, but don't get to sweaty. I also look for shaded areas to walk in also. I fortunately live in Ohio and have hundreds of miles of shaded paths through woods to walk through. I HATE the heat also, and do not tolerate it well at all. As others have said, the mall is also another great option and I have ran there a few times this week after work to get my last few steps in.

[get2fitK8]

If you like to walk consider going to walk around in an indoor mall. You can get your walk in and stay cool. The real trick though is not get distracted by the stores. Check out pool passes in your area for swimming, or shady wooded area for hiking. Early in the morning or later in the evening if it ever cools off (I'm in the malarial swamp that is tidewater Virginia, so I understand completely about the heat and humidity) Shift to DVDs or exercise shows on Amazon prime or fitTv. good luck and stay cool!

[angie61]

I find it cooler to walk in the morning i have two friends we are outside by 5:30 in the morning and we walk between 5 and 6 miles.It is a great way to start your day and get your metabolism going! Good luck!!

[LaTonya]

I love the early light of warm months, but I'm not great in the heat. I get up uber early and walk before I leave for work. I also  get in extended early mornings walks on weekends. At work, I walk inside long corridors or the parking garage. I also walk to local air-conditioned, large open plazas and walk indoors there.

If a mall or large grocery store is nearby, that's an option.