Extreme Heat, Modified Plans

Hey {{first name | reader}},

It’s Tuesday, which means your weekly fitness check-in. Welcome to Week #26. I’m writing this from a train from Paris to Tours. I had no idea when I planned this trip with my niece last autumn that we’d be landing in the middle of a heatwave. When I took off from San Francisco it was a brisk 56 degrees Fahrenheit.

We landed in Paris in temperatures over 100 degrees then waited in passport control for almost three hours while France struggled to get its immigration software to function.

This is the weather that kills old French ladies in their attic flats. 

My carefully planned tourist itinerary immediately became an exercise in locating shade, fountains, and air conditioning.

The Louvre wasn't a museum. It was climate control with paintings.

Fitness goals were rapidly revised.

Which is actually the point. Fitness isn't doing the perfect workout. It's adapting when circumstances change.

We learned the importance of the indoor afternoon— cooking class, jewelry making class, just sitting in the air conditioning of our hotel.

Even before I found out that I’d be in Paris during an extermination-level heatwave, I planned to be judicious and strategic in my training. I chose the hotels in Paris for location and vibes. None of them have a gym. The no-equipment workout I outlined a few weeks back was built for this trip. Ten minutes every morning Chloe joins me with giggles and fun music before we’re off for our long tourist strolls. Unlike traveling with my now adolescent and nearly six feet tall nephew, traveling with my ten year-old niece requires a bit more supervision. Kudos to her for happily joining me in burpees, pushups, and wall sits, and for not complaining about long hot sweaty walks.

Landing that day after a longish night flight, we took it easy. Chloe slept the whole way, I on the other hand shifted continually trying to maintain the circulation in my legs and avoid the pain in my knees and hip joints.¹ We walked the Seine, had early dinner and capped it off with gelato for dessert. As hot as it was, the gelato was necessary. 

I’ve been to Paris more times than I can count, but I still feel the magic of walking up the stairs to the second tier of the Eiffel Tower. As tempting as it might have been to do the ultimate stair mill workout and walk to the top— the heat (and Chloe) had other ideas.² We did not make it to the top, and we still saw amazing— if hot and sticky— views of the City of Light.

Training through extreme heat requires that we take precautions. We need to make sure we stay hydrated and pay attention to signs of heat exhaustion. Your body is working almost twice as hard as it usually does— pumping oxygen to the muscles while also getting blood circulating to the skin to promote cooling. Just like last week, when we talked about the risks in powering through without sleep, there are serious risks of gritting it out through extreme heat.

As a precaution, Chloe and I are starting early before the heat reaches its apex. We’re finding air-conditioned museums, shops, and classes in the afternoon. We’re taking frequent hydration breaks.³ 

If you’re sweating more, a bit flushed, but your heart rate is normal, keep training.

Dizziness, nausea, headaches, or unusual fatigue mean it's time to stop. If you're no longer sweating despite extreme heat, seek cooling immediately.

Start over for another day. My normal week includes heavy lifting, spin classes, long walks, and a hike.

This week it includes ten-minute hotel workouts, wall sits in Paris Metro stations, museum staircases, and chasing a ten-year-old through Paris.

Different plan. Same principle: keep moving.

Question: Should I change my training when in extreme heat?

Answer: If you train inside in a gym, there’s likely airconditioning, so no— stop looking for excuses. But if you’re used to running or hiking outside, the heat will become a factor that you cannot ignore. Drop your training intensity and volume by 10–20%. Cut the time, and don’t go as hard; your hour long tempo run might become a 40 to 45 minute easy run, your seven mile hike at a brisk pace may become an hour long stroll. You're not cheating, you're avoiding heat stroke. Wear a hat. Drink water. Pay attention to your body.

Myth: If you’re really fit you won't get heatstroke.

Reality: Even the most well conditioned athletes will feel the wages of intense heat (that's why FIFA has introduced those infernal hydration breaks). Human bodies have limits when it comes to extreme heat regardless of their fitness level. Highly trained people may actually be more susceptible to heat stroke as they will have a greater tendency to persevere when they should stop training. 

France has solved the problem of what to eat when it's too hot to think. It's called a jambon beurre, and it is exactly what it sounds like: ham and butter on a baguette, sometimes with a smear of Dijon. It costs approximately three euros, takes thirty seconds to eat standing up, and contains enough protein and carbohydrate to fuel another three hours of sweaty museum-going. I am eating one every day. I have no notes.⁴

There are multiple misconceptions about training in extreme heat. The Mayo Clinic provides a comprehensive overview of what it is, symptoms, and what one needs to do to stay safe. One factor in succumbing to heatstroke is ignoring early warning signs and believing myths. Don’t let that be you.

The Ten-Minute Hotel Workout — Heat Edition

If you're traveling somewhere hot this summer, do your workout before 9am. Not because you're a morning person. Because heat stroke is not a personality trait you want to develop.

Ten minutes. Burpees, pushups, wall sits. Done before the day gets dangerous.

If ten minutes feels short, remember that Chloe is ten years old and doing it with me. No excuses.

Stay strong,
{{first name | reader}}

P.S. We only made it to second level of the Eiffel Tower. I regret nothing.