www.womanthismonth.com 41 May 2013 | You might have to tailor what you do according to the time of day or simply move indoors. What you need is a little common sense and a lot of water! If you are the gym bunny type, the hot weather could signal a perfect time to shake up your regular routine and reach your fitness goals. Don’t fear the heat Our expert: Craig Heslop, founder and tribal coach, Tribal Fitness The modern lifestyle allows for less movement whether sitting at a desk, watching television or driving. Here in Bahrain, we are particularly susceptible to a sedentary way of living with services readily available to have our cars washed, gardens pruned and homes cleaned. We are forced into air- conditioned surroundings and do less and less which impacts our health and fitness. Tribal Fitness, founded in Bahrain a few years ago, aims to return individuals back to their clean-living roots through natural movements, healthy eating and living. Ever wonder what cavemen did to combat the heat back in the day when they trudged off to hunt for food? “They were smart and limited their movements to certain times of the day. They didn’t have to slap on sunscreen,” says Craig. “They moved around in the early morning and evening and avoided the intense heat during the day. They had respect for the sun, its strength and danger.” You might not have to hunt for your food today; but one way or another you have got to move to find your way to the supermarket. We don’t move nearly as much as we used to particularly in Bahrain where footpaths and parks are limited. Yet there is an expanse of desert landscape ready to be explored. “When we go for a walk, we use the treadmill and stare at a screen and in our peripheral vision we have nothing but the walls of the gym. Our senses are dulled and we are neither awake nor alert,” he explains. So what can you do? Walk, run or move for short stints of 15 minutes before the school run or heading to work. Take advantage of the beautiful island sunsets and get out and move. Although Craig is confident we can acclimatise to the heat for short exercises outdoors, provided we drink plenty of water, not everyone is keen on the heat. Tribal Fitness uses its gym space to accommodate those wanting to beat the heat. Overall, this expert says we should not fear the heat, but work around it. If you train regularly throughout the year, the hot weather presents a golden opportunity to optimise your routine. Look at what works and what doesn’t and fine tune it. Change your focus from exercise to what is happening with your health. Health and fitness go hand in hand, but are two different things. You can be super fit and unhealthy at the same time. For your 15 minute walk, run or swim, add weight bearing exercises a couple of times a week and with this, you have the makings of a solid summer routine. Plus, walking outside in the early morning sunlight has the additional bonus of providing our bodies with Vitamin D. People tend to stay indoors during the summer and our vitamin D levels drop significantly. Vitamin D is produced by the body from sunlight exposure and is essential to good bone health. Experts recommend testing your vitamin levels now and getting retested in a few months time to make sure your body has a sufficient amount. Change your focus Our expert: Chris Rawlinson, manager, Oxygen Gym Whatever exercises you can do outdoors, there is always an alternative inside a gym. Doing push-ups outdoors can be likened to performing the bench press. Cycling outdoors can be done on stationary bikes. A run along the beach equals a run on the treadmill. “Of course it’s nice to go for a scenic run outdoors. But realistically, we live in one of the hottest places on Earth. So there are times of the year when you need to do indoor workouts,” says Chris. Change your routine Exercising indoors is fun and is the next best thing if you are used to training outdoors. Chris sees an influx of people in the gym at this time of year looking for the ultimate beach body. He also sees people who want to get out of the heat and need advice on what they can do inside the gym. “It’s a good time now to change your exercise routine,” says Chris, emphasising the need to always tweak our routines every six weeks with slight variations and progressions such as more reps or sets. For women, resistance training is particularly important for bone health, posture and body changes during significant life changes such as childbirth and menopause.
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