The summers in my local area are always sunny, hot and humid.
This year has been especially brutal.
Everyday, by 8 in the morning, the temperature has climbed above eighty degrees. I workout every day for about an hour. I use the lanai constructed on the back of the house as my gym. For most of the year, the screened space is ideal. I enjoy the fresh breeze. The lack of temperature control is a problem during the summer. I get up and workout as early as possible, hoping to avoid the heat of the day. I run a box fan at max speed and stand directly in front of it. I sweat so badly that I sometimes get lightheaded. I need to keep a towel handy and drink lots of water. I am lucky that I have a lake within walking distance of my house. On the days when I just can’t face exercising in such overheated and sticky conditions, I head to the water. The lake water is always a comfortable temperature, and it’s not overly deep. I can choose to remain in the shallow area for water aerobics. I run, kick, skip and do lunges, jumps and high knees. The water keeps me pleasantly cool even though the water adds resistance. Although the movements are slow, they require more exertion from my muscles. I sometimes choose to swim laps across the lake or tread water in the middle for extended periods of time. I enjoy working out in the water so much that my workouts often last several hours.