Every season brings its own pitfalls for athletes of all skill levels. While winter means that our muscles take longer to warm up, the open window effect weakens our immune system and outdoor workouts are only suitable for the very tough among us who absorbed Rocky's training philosophy as an upbringing at the age of eight even the summers are not always good for us.
The constant heat, which makes temperatures above 30° the order of the day, demands a lot from us. Less breath during the workout, a strained circulatory system and a reduced sleep quality are just three keywords that come up directly in connection with summer and heat. How do you still keep your recovery at the highest possible level? We give you clues!
Point 1: Accept the odds:
In order to find a solution, you must first realize what is causing your recovery to suffer. Perhaps your irregular sleep is not due to your sensitivity to temperature, but only to your cell phone addiction, which is particularly evident in the evenings. After these points are ticked off, you can move on to the essentials.
As mentioned in the title: Accept the odds! Summer stays for a while. With a mindset that is adjusted to this, everyday life is also easier. You don't have to rack your brains or whine about things you can't change. That may sound harsh, but it creates space for you that you can use better. For example, with the scorching heat, it's time to get back to swimming intervals. But if such a positive, sports-oriented approach doesn't suit your life, that's okay. Instead, try to keep yourself entertained with good food or a cold nocco.
Water, water, water: Don't forget to hydrate!
Blood flow, our internal cooling in the form of sweat and respiration, and the mere functioning of our body depend on several things: The right amount of nutrients, oxygen and, surprise, fluid! Water, as the most natural form of it, is still the best solution to not succumbing to a circulatory collapse in between, whether in everyday life or during a workout. In addition, athletes should drink more water anyway. There is no threshold above which you "drink enough", but as an adult, 1.5 liters of water is the minimum. Depending on how intense the strength unit or class was, it can also be 2-3 liters per day. Summer does the rest to keep you in a state of perpetual thirst. Due to the heat, our body cools itself with sweat. So far so good. But because of this, more water has to be refilled.
If this does not happen, regeneration suffers. Organs like the liver and kidneys cannot continue to break down toxins as usual. The intestinal function suffers, which means that not all the nutrients ingested can be adequately utilized. This results in a kind of negative spiral that you can easily avoid. So that you can imagine an appropriate water measure: With the equivalent of seven fos BCAA you are on the safe side. The same applies to FitAid . However, at least in the case of fos BCAA, your caffeine consumption then takes over. Athletes, know your limits!
Relieve everyday life, retain more air at high temperatures
It is no coincidence that we constantly point out the connection between circulation and temperature. The warmer it is, the more work our body has to do. The effort to cope with your everyday life is therefore greater than in more moderate weather. If you're a real athlete, you won't let that shock you. But after the third flight of stairs at the latest, you too will notice that your breathing no longer wants to. Is that a reason to judge yourself? No! Ultimately, the heat only shows you a deficit that you can work on in the long term. But now is not the time to make quick decisions and get moral. That only causes stress. Stress combined with heat is even worse than either factor alone. So avoid both if possible and take steam off your schedule.
Bonus tip: sleep like a baby
For many, probably for you too, 8 hours of sleep a day is usually a challenge. If the air is still stuffy, this amount of sleep becomes all the more complicated. In addition, there is the permanently high sun, which bathes the bedroom in glistening light, even when no light is needed at all. For a good night's sleep, we have three tips in one for you:
Firstly, enough fresh air keeps your head clear even while you sleep. Although the door and gate is then opened for the warm air from outside, a new surge of oxygen brings much more than closed windows and the resulting increase in humidity without any air to breathe.
Second, black out where you can. Our body reacts to light with hormones and may therefore awaken earlier than we would like. What can you do about it? Use shutters and curtains! You might feel like you're in a box, but your brain is no longer overwhelmed by fuzzy stimuli when you're half asleep. If you ventilate in parallel, there is always a certain gap for the rest of the light to enter. You have to find the perfect mix of darkness and fresh air yourself.
Tip three: supplements. Nutritional supplementation also helps with recovery. With natural aids such as deep relax from Omega3Zone, you can bring relaxation to your night's sleep across the board. Melatonin, B vitamins, lavender blossom extract and ashwagandha provide you with plus points in areas that you can otherwise hardly influence through positive habits. While melatonin brings your sleep rhythm into shape, the B vitamins used ensure a relaxed brain and nervous system. Lavender and Ashwagandha are both considered ancient, natural remedies for illness and to promote relaxation. Treat your brain to a special kind of massage with deep relax!