By Alison Guerrero, Wellness Manager

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us! We always want to take caution with high temperatures to avoid heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration, and other negative impacts on our health, but we still want to keep our bodies moving and maintain healthy physical activity levels. So that poses the question: How do we safely stay active while it’s hot outside?

One way is to move your activities and exercises indoors. Exercising at home can be simple and easy with free follow along classes available to stream on your computer, phone, or smartTV. If you’re looking for more, you could explore going to a fitness center for group exercise classes or self-directed
exercise with machines and equipment you may not have at home. Some facilities even offer indoor pools, which are a great way to work cardio and strength, train balance and flexibility, and more, in a low impact way. All of which we offer right here on the Trinity Wood campus, it’s a great benefit to our residents.

Another option is to shift your activity schedule based on the time of day. It’s recommended not to exercise in temperatures 90 degrees or higher. Avoiding the peak heat times of the day by opting to do your activities prior to 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. will help you to be better able to do physical activity outside while reducing your risk of heat injuries. Be sure to keep cool water and other cooling options nearby, such as hand fans, cool rags, and shade as a precaution.

Lastly, you could opt to get your steps in by walking indoors. You could find a fitness facility with an indoor track or perhaps walk around the mall a few times. Other options include walking around large stores like Walmart, Target, Lowes, etc, as well as taking some laps up and down the aisles at your local library or visiting a museum or the aquarium.

Just remember to keep active! Pick one or several of these options to stay cook, and keep moving!