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July 14, 2000
It's hot! Potentially dangerously hot.
With this year's dryer than normal conditions, and Salt Lake's thermometer hovering near 100 degrees, experts are advising people-- for health's sake-- to stay cool.
At Cottonwood Hospital's Orthopoedic Speciality Center or TOSH as it's called, athletes work out indoors with fans and air conditioning.
Some who compete in hot weather will condition themselves outdoors.
But most of us are not in this league. We have to be even more cautious.
With hotter temperatures, exercise physiologists recommend staying out of the sun between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Though it appears that way, stripping clothes off is not always a good way to stay cool, especially when temperatures are at their summer peak. The advice, especially when working out: Wear shirts and pants made not from cotton, but from the new high tech fibers.
Exercise physiologist Dr. Andrew Subudhi explains, "If you wear these fibers, they'll help wick moisture away from your body, which can help with evaporative cooling."
Dehydration is our worst enemy, especially in a dry desert climate. Again, the word while temperatures soar is to drink water even though you're not thirsty.
Dehydration comes on quickly with little or no warning. Athletes know this rule well.
They say, "If you lose one percent of your body weight in water loss or dehydration, you can actually decrease your performance up to 20% to 30%."
If anybody should know about heat, how quick it comes on, and what it can do to the body, it's a roofer.
They wear hats and drink water a little at a time. And for most jobs, they avoid working in the heat of the day.
Paul Oyler says he's seen new guys in the industry defy the rules and pay the penalty.
"Seen guys that have actually passed out on the roof, and had to get the ambulances out." he says.
More advice: If the body is hot, never drink ice water.
During heavy workouts, athletes can supplement water with sports drinks which replenish the body's electrolytes. Don't drink alcohol, soda pop or drinks with heavy caffeine.
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