Spicy foods help your body sweat without raising your body temperature. Maybe that’s why some of the hottest countries on earth serve lots of spicy foods. Try spicing up your marinades and BBQ sauces for the grill this summer to keep you cool.
Ingredients:
Stir together and refrigerate until ready to use. Only 38 calories per serving. Makes about 2/3 of a cup.
The weather is warming up and most of us are moving out of our gyms and into the sunshine to exercise. We need to be mindful to still get a complete and healthy workout without the equipment and temperature control that we have in the gym.
1. Drinking Hot Coffee Before A Run – Drinking coffee has been shown to help you run faster and work out longer, but the caffeine in coffee acts as a diuretic and may increase your chances of dehydration if you drink more than 5 cups. And, if you like your coffee hot, you could be hurting your performance. A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that consuming an icy cold drink before a run could enhance performance.
2. Wearing Too Loose Clothing - Running in loose shorts can increase your chances of chafing. Add summer sweat to the mix and you’ll exacerbate the burn. If you’re prone to friction burns, invest in an anti-chafing spray or try wearing spandex underneath your running shorts. When picking out a pair, take a look at the seams to make sure that they’re not too rough or raised.
3. Forgetting to Hydrate at the Pool - Swimming in water isn’t the same as drinking it. “Because swimmers are in the water, it can be easy to overlook how much water the body loses through sweat as compared with exercise on land,” says Jeffrey Chu, a member of the USA Swimming National Committee for Safety Education. When you can’t feel your sweat, your body misses its cue to hydrate. Keep a water bottle at the end of the pool and drink often.
4. Not Eating After A Workout – A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who worked out in hotter temperatures (97°F) ate 300 fewer calories at their next meal than those who exercised in cooler temps (77°F). While cutting back on calories isn’t necessarily a bad thing, make sure to refuel properly after your workout. You should eat a snack within 30 minutes after your workout. If you really don’t want to eat, try drinking your snack in the form of a shake or protein drink.
5. Forgetting To Strength Train - It’s nice outside – who wants to spend the day lifting at the gym? Strength training is an integral part of getting fit and staying healthy. Try a portable workout system like TRX or The Human Trainer that can go to the park, trail, or backyard with you so you can get in a complete workout while enjoying the fresh air.
6. The advice to “Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day” is FALSE – Now that the weather is warming up, it’s especially important to stay hydrated. Do you know how much liquid you really need?
