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SIHF Healthcare Offers Safety Tips for Exercising Outdoors in the Heat
SIHF Healthcare is offering safety tips for individuals who exercise outdoors in the heat and humidity. This comes as individuals are frequently seen in July and August for treatment of heat exhaustion.
A number of individuals insist on their daily exercise routine taking place outside in the heat. While not recommended, there are ways to get in that physical outdoor recreation, safely.
“Many people don’t realize they need to hydrate before they go out and exercise in the heat. If you wait until after that 5-mile-long run to start drinking, your body is already dehydrated at this point,” says David LeBeau, MD in Family Medicine for SIHF Healthcare in Belleville, Ill. “If you come back from your run and you’re down one or two pounds, that’s a critical sign to hydrate better.”
A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 8 ounces of water shortly before getting out and exercising in the heat. It’s also important to keep water or another sports drink with you so you can drink every 15 to 20 minutes.
“I also recommend getting your outdoor exercise done early in the morning or in the evening once the sun begins to set,” LeBeau adds. “The heat and humidity will be much more bearable at those times.”
If exercising outdoors during these hot summer months is a priority to you, be smart, safe, and mindful. The medical providers at SIHF Healthcare encourage you to be active this summer, but they want you to know your body’s limits. If you’d like to make an appointment for a check-up or a physical before you start exercising in the heat, click here to find an SIHF health center near you.
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About SIHF Healthcare
SIHF Healthcare operates a network of more than 30 health centers across 11 Illinois counties with more than 160 medical providers who deliver comprehensive healthcare services including: adult, family, women’s health, pediatrics, pediatric dental services, behavioral health, and population health services. As one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks in the country, SIHF Healthcare is devoted to leading individuals and communities to their healthiest lifestyle regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, visit www.sihf.org.