Is there
an optimal temperature for working out and does it reduce the calories we burn
if the room is too cold (or not hot enough)?
Several
factors should be taken into consideration when trying to set room temperature:
what activity is being done there, the outside temperature AND outside humidity
level.
The American
College of Sports Medicine’s recommended temperature for exercising indoors is 68-72 o F (20 – 22.2 o C).
This range keeps most exercisers comfortable, whether they're on the
treadmill, taking a step class or pumping iron.
The International Fitness
Association has developed these guidelines:
Aerobics,
cardio, weight training and Pilates areas should be at about 65 to 680F
Yoga areas should be somewhat warmer at about 800F
Pool areas should be in the 70 to 800F range.
Humidity levels for all areas should be around 40% to
60%.
According to the
"European Journal of Applied Physiology," sports performance gets
worse in the heat - very hot or cold environments affects performance and
safety during cardio workouts.
Although hot temperatures
burn the most fat, they can also cut your workout short.
As evidenced in the 1997
study, cyclists who were able to withstand the longest workouts were those
exercising in moderate to warm, not hot weather.
Increasing your body
temperature
The false belief is that
you increase your metabolism, sweat more and burn more calories. For years,
wrestlers ran around in sweatsuits in overheated conditions to shed pounds
before a match in order to fit into their weight category. Well, the lost pounds were mostly water weight
and they were dehydrating themselves - the wrong way to drop pounds and
outright dangerous.
Sweating is
not necessarily an accurate measure of a good workout or an indicator that
calorie burning is in high gear.
1. Everyone
doesn't sweat the same amount or under the same circumstances.
2. Some
people sweat just sitting at their desks
3. Others
don't until they're midway through a high-impact aerobics class.
4. If it's
hot and humid outside, you could break a sweat just walking out the door.
"You
don't have to sweat to get a good workout, and exercising in higher temperatures and
humidity can be dangerous,"
says Endress an exercise physiologist and fitness director at the Duke
University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C.
Heat and
humidity interfere with the body's natural cooling process.
While
sweating is your body's natural cooling process, sweating is not always
harmless.
Risks
increase when the humidity is
above 70% and the temperature is 70 0F or above. (Malaysia
82 – 930F (28 – 340C
humidity >84%) Beauty works studio ?350C)
Exercising
in warm and humid conditions can be hard on your heart.
When performing aerobic
exercise in the heat, blood vessels of the skin dilate to facilitate cooling.
This reduces blood flow to the respiratory system which causes the heart rate
to go up.
The problem
is made worse because the heart is trying to deliver blood and oxygen to your
working muscles while your body is trying to cool off by sweating.
If you sweat
too much, you lose fluid. This decreases your total blood volume. That means your heart has to pump even harder
to get the smaller volume of blood to your working muscles, skin and the other
body parts.
When you
lose too much fluid, your body temperature rises and your nervous system
doesn't work properly.
Extreme fluid
loss can lead to brain and heart damage (heat stroke).
Hot temperatures can also
be dangerous, leading to heat exhaustion and dehydration unless you are
prepared and know when to stop.
Warning signs include
dizziness, sudden fatigue and nausea as well as leg cramps from depleted
electrolytes
|
Here are some tips for exercising SAFELY in heat and humidity:
·
Drink plenty
of fluids. Dehydration caused by excessive sweating can lead to heat
exhaustion and heat stroke. Drink fluids before, during, and after exercise
even if if you do not
feel thirsty. Water replenishes your body's water content and sports drinks to replace electrolytes.
·
Dress for the
heat. Wear loose-fitting, light-colored, and lightweight clothes. Cotton is best when
sweat-soaked because it has a cooling effect.
·
Use common
sense. As a rule, the higher the air temperature, the lower the humidity must be to avoid risk of heat injury. For
example, when air temperature > 800F, you are at risk if the
humidity exceeds 50%. During very hot and humid spells, exercise in the cool indoors or go
swimming.
·
Take time to
adjust. The body needs time to acclimatize to hot weather. It takes 7 to 14 days to fully
acclimatize, so gradually increase your exercise time.
|
Be especially careful if
heat comes with high humidity, a perfect combination for
heat exhaustion.
Solution: The safest and effective training method involves
wearing loose-fitting clothing (shorts, T-shirt and sneakers) in comfortable
temperatures (ideally 68 to 72F) and doing high-intensity cardio for at
least 20 minutes. You'll perspire and efficiently burn both calories and fat,
and your metabolism will increase as
mentioned above, allowing you to continue burning fat and calories well after
the workout.
REFERENCES
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