7 Keys To Doing Exercise During The Summer Without Dying Of Dehydration

During the summer, exercising may sound more appealing but, at the same time, you may feel lazy and even worried about doing it.

We tend to have more free time during this season and, since the cold is giving us a break, it seems like our enthusiasm for exercising increases. Even more when we realize that we haven’t been doing our homework when it comes to the well known “Get ready for Summer” operation.

However, during this conjunction between the angel and the devil on our shoulders, there is one of them who speaks to us about the suffocating heat from the summer and the issues resulting from doing activities under extreme temperature conditions.

And the truth is this is something perfectly reasonable: the risk of dehydration or of suffering a heat stroke is there but, is there anything we can do to prevent it?

Good news: It’s perfectly possible to exercise during the summer without becoming dehydrated. You just have to use your common sense and, of course, follow some of the tips we are going to give you down below. After all, these are a summary of the, sometimes, least common of the senses.

While practicing a high intensity sport like CrossFit, which also takes place in a box – a closed environment with its own pros and cons -, you have to pay close attention to specific factors that will allow you (or not) to continue with your activities the same way you would the rest of the year. 


The thing is, no matter how prepared we are, CrossFit lovers have to keep in mind some precautions while training.

Keys To Doing Exercise During The Summer

1. Sweating, a double-edge sword

As for the previous paragraphs, it is important to make a point. Often we come upon people who, from a place of ignorance, think that you lose weight while you sweat. Nothing could be further from the truth. What actually happens is that while we exercise, we burn fat and calories and at the same time we sweat, which doesn’t mean those events are correlated. We sweat because that’s your body’s way of regulating its temperature which increases with physical effort – that is sweating’s only purpose.

But, what happens when you sweat a lot and you don’t drink plenty of fluids?  Bingo! You get dehydrated. This is why you shouldn’t listen to that nonsense of exercising in excessive heat or, even worse, wrapping yourself up, following the assumption that the more you sweat, the more you lose weight, unless you want to die on the spot.

You do have to keep in mind that sweating can be your enemy. Fluid and electrolyte loss can be drastic given the high intensity of CrossFit.  However, for CrossFit enthusiasts – we are more and more each day – there is a simple solution: maintaining proper hydration by consuming isotonic drinks to help you replenish your fluids and electrolytes. If the heat increases, it’s best if you take your shirt off so you can avoid excessive sweating.

2. Nutrition is more important during the summer

As a good CrossFitter you should be aware of the toughness of the workouts you face, and that’s something that should translate into your nutrition if you don’t want to suffer the debilitating consequences of excessive heat conditions.

In that way, components such as glucose are essential to develop your muscles through work and effort. Needless to say your muscles need to be well feed in order to practice this sport and, more specifically, when you do it during the summer season.

Likewise, it’s necessary to eat specific food before and after your big workouts. Nutrient losses are obvious after such intense activity. Carbohydrates, for example, are something you should consume before and after each workout. Same happens with protein, a component you should take right after your box sessions.

3. Your outfit is important as well

Another key factor to be considered when trying not to die dehydrated while exercising during the summer is your outfit. If you think it is important to wear certain clothes during winter, it’s even more important to choose the right ones during summer. Always choose breathable fabric clothes to let your skin breath allowing your body to evacuate sweat. 

You may be getting started in CrossFit and only have cotton clothes in your closet. Please, go to a store and buy proper clothing for your workouts. It’s something you will use not just during the summer season, but all year round. In summertime, if you train at a CrossFit box, all that is left for you to do is taking your t-shirt off, as we said before.

4. Use sunscreen as your shield

This one goes beyond sports, because sunscreen is crucial in summertime either way. However, this is even more important when training during the summer. Considering we are talking about a physical effort that takes places generally inside a box, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Nevertheless, if you practice CrossFit you already know there are times when you will have to do some exercises outside, like, for example, running.  It’s obvious you should protect yourself from the sun no matter how uncomfortable it gets. We are talking about a little help against dehydration, but a real lifesaver for your skin.

5. Pay close attention to your physical condition

This may be one of our most obvious tips, but it never hurts to emphasize it. Sometimes, when we exercise, we are so into it that we don’t pay attention to anything else. This happens even more when we have a goal in mind and, for whatever reason, we strive to get there over and over again, completely disregarding how we feel. Pay attention to your body when you exercise on hot days. That way, if you start feeling like something is wrong, you can solve the problem on time.

CrossFit is a sport that can get intense pretty fast and, even though everyone is different, people who practice it usually go hard and get to their limits. This is not a bad thing, as long as their physical condition is excellent. But you also need to know when to stop when you feel like something is off. If you think thoroughly about it, you will realize that it’s better to stop and recover so you can keep enjoying your workouts, rather than continue and have bigger issues that will make you stop training for a longer period of time.

6. Staying properly hydrated, the most obvious key

As obvious as it sounds, if you don’t drink when you work out -or when you don’t work out as well- you will end up getting dehydrated, whether it is summer, fall, winter or spring. But if we combine high intensity heat and exercise, our body will need to drink like it needs air to breathe. And by drinks we don’t mean those beers at the bar, but any sports drink or the abovementioned water. Jokes aside, the best solution for dehydration is just keeping yourself hydrated, simple as that.

Take a look at the first point on this list and at everything we said about sweating. Even though everybody who practices sports sweats, when it comes to high intensity activities and workouts like the ones we do in CrossFit, this point is especially important because everything is intensified: more sweating, more fluid loss, and, consequently, more need to replace them by getting hydrated.

7. Velites tips, the best help

The best advice Velites Sport can give you is to follow our advice. Here we have all the keys to doing exercise during the summer without dying of dehydration and, what is more, we offer you the best products of the market so you can practice sports.

It is true that our products are not going to save you from dehydration despite their good quality; but our recommendations will help you train in you CrossFit box without having to worry about it so, you better take advantage of them!

Picture: Premier CrossFit