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Body Temperature, Heat, Hydration, Memory, Performance, Wellness
Overheating and Its Detrimental Effects on Cognitive Performance in Athletes
- July 12, 2023
As athletes, you constantly strive to push your limits, surpass your personal bests, and excel in your respective fields. You diligently train your bodies, but it’s crucial to remember that your cognitive performance plays an equally vital role in achieving athletic success. However, excessive heat and increased core temperature can have a profound impact on your ability to think clearly and perform at your best. In this article, we will delve into the link between heat and cognitive performance, specifically in relation to athletic performance. We will also explore three practical strategies to mitigate these effects, ensuring that you stay sharp and focused in the heat of the game. Considering the average temperatures continuing to climb, this is even more applicable than ever.

The Heat-Cognition Connection

Research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology highlights the compelling connection between excessive heat and cognitive performance. When your body’s core temperature rises, certain physiological changes occur that can impede your cognitive abilities. Heat stress triggers a cascade of effects, including increased heart rate, reduced blood flow to the brain, and altered neurotransmitter function. Consequently, these changes can lead to reduced attention span, slower reaction times, impaired decision-making, and even memory lapses – all of which can be detrimental to an athlete’s performance on the field.

Hydration: The Foundation of Cognitive Performance

Hydration is the cornerstone of maintaining optimal cognitive function in hot conditions. Dehydration amplifies the negative effects of heat stress on the brain, compromising your ability to think clearly and make split-second decisions. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a well-honed hydration routine before, during, and after physical activity.

Pre-Activity: Start hydrating well in advance. Consume adequate fluids, preferably water, leading up to your training or competition. Aim to drink at least 16-20 ounces of water 1-2 hours before your athletic endeavor.

During Activity: Sip on fluids regularly throughout your training session or game. Water is typically sufficient for activities lasting less than an hour. For longer sessions, hot/humid temperatures with increased sweat loss or intense activities, consider incorporating electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks to replenish essential minerals lost through sweat.

Post-Activity: Rehydration is equally vital after exertion. Consume fluids to replace lost sweat and promote recovery. Weigh yourself before and after exercise to gauge your hydration status. For every pound lost, aim to drink 16-24 ounces of fluid.

Cooling Strategies: Beat the Heat

Combatting excessive heat is crucial to safeguard your cognitive prowess during physical exertion. Employing cooling strategies can help regulate your body temperature and keep your brain functioning optimally.

Cooling Apparel: Invest in technologically advanced, breathable sportswear designed to wick away sweat and facilitate heat dissipation. Opt for light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that allows air circulation to promote evaporative cooling.

Cold Water Immersion: If available, take advantage of cold water immersion techniques to cool your body quickly. Submerging your body or applying cold towels to your head, neck, and wrists helps to lower core temperature, providing instant relief from heat stress.

Strategic Rest Periods: Incorporate short breaks in your training regimen to allow your body to recover from heat stress. Seek shade or air-conditioned areas during these intervals to facilitate efficient cooling and rejuvenation.

Mental Preparation and Focus

While physical preparation is vital for athletic success, the power of mental fortitude should not be underestimated. Sharpen your cognitive skills through mental training to counteract the negative effects of heat stress on your ability to think and perform.

Visualizations and Simulations: Use imagery and mental rehearsals to familiarize yourself with performing under challenging conditions. Visualize yourself successfully executing your game plan despite the heat, reinforcing mental resilience.

Cognitive Flexibility Exercises: Engage in cognitive exercises that improve flexibility and adaptability, such as puzzles, memory games, and brain teasers. These activities enhance your ability to switch between tasks, think creatively, and maintain focus under pressure.

Mindfulness and Meditation: Practice mindfulness techniques and meditation to cultivate a calm and focused state of mind. These practices can improve concentration, reduce stress, and optimize your cognitive performance even in high-temperature environments.

Conclusion

Excessive heat and increased core temperature can significantly impact an athlete’s cognitive performance, leading to compromised decision-making, slower reaction times, and reduced attention span. By implementing effective strategies to mitigate these effects, athletes can maintain their mental edge even in hot conditions. Prioritizing hydration, utilizing cooling strategies, and investing in mental preparation are essential steps to safeguard your cognitive performance. Remember, a cool and clear mind is just as crucial as a fit and strong body when it comes to achieving athletic excellence. Stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay sharp!

Study referenced: click here

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Carbs, Heat, Macronutrients, Metabolism, Performance
The Power of Carbohydrate Periodization and Heat Stress Management
- June 28, 2023
We will be delving into two powerful strategies that can enhance athletic performance: carbohydrate periodization with sleep low train low (SLTL) techniques and managing the impact of heat stress on the body. Understanding the interplay between these two factors can give athletes a significant edge in their pursuit of excellence. With the hotter temperatures rolling in, being able to manage the stress of heat on the body is even more important. Giving the body time to adapt is still a main piece of the puzzle but some nutrition strategies can help enhance that.

Carbohydrate Periodization with SLTL Strategies

Carbohydrate periodization is a nutritional approach that involves strategically manipulating carbohydrate intake based on training goals and timing. The concept behind this strategy is to train the body to become more efficient at utilizing stored fat as a fuel source during exercise, thus sparing limited glycogen stores for high-intensity efforts. When combined with SLTL techniques, athletes can further optimize their body’s ability to burn fat during exercise.

A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports investigated the effects of carbohydrate periodization and SLTL on endurance performance. The study found that athletes who followed a carbohydrate periodization plan and utilized SLTL strategies experienced improved endurance capacity and enhanced fat oxidation during exercise.

By strategically timing low-carbohydrate meals before sleep and training in a fasted state, athletes can promote the adaptation of their metabolic systems to effectively utilize fat as a primary energy source. This not only improves endurance performance but also helps prevent glycogen depletion, delaying the onset of fatigue during prolonged exercise.

Keep in mind though that when training in this state, peak performance is likely to be blunted. Focus should be on lower intensity and longer duration training which will enhance the fat utilization adaptation effects. If needing to perform your absolute best in the morning or entering a game day, make sure you aren’t going in fasted.

Understanding the Impact of Heat Stress

Heat stress occurs when our bodies are exposed to high temperatures and increased humidity, leading to a rise in core body temperature. During exercise, especially in hot and humid conditions, heat stress can have a profound impact on our performance and overall well-being.

When our body temperature rises, several physiological responses occur, including increased heart rate, increased sweat production, and redistribution of blood flow to the skin for cooling. These responses place additional stress on the cardiovascular system and can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and decreased exercise capacity. This increased stress also increases carbohydrate utilization which can deplete glycogen stores and cause fatigue to set in quicker.

Interaction of Carb Periodization, SLTL, and Heat Stress

The aforementioned study also highlighted the interaction between carbohydrate periodization, SLTL strategies, and heat stress on athletic performance. When athletes combined SLTL techniques with exercise in a heat-stressed environment, they still were able to experience increased fat oxidation compared to those who followed traditional high-carbohydrate pre-training.

Heat stress poses additional challenges to the body’s energy systems. The combination of heat stress and overly carbohydrate-rich diets can increase the reliance on glycogen as a fuel source, leading to earlier exhaustion and reduced exercise capacity. By incorporating SLTL strategies, athletes can potentially optimize fat utilization, preserving glycogen stores and enhancing performance in heat-stressed conditions.

Managing the Impact of Heat Stress

To effectively manage the impact of heat stress on performance, athletes should consider the following strategies:
1. Hydration: Proper hydration is crucial to counteract fluid losses due to sweating. Drink fluids before, during, and after exercise, and ensure you consume electrolytes to replace those lost through sweat.
2. Acclimatization: Gradually expose yourself to hot and humid conditions to allow your body to adapt. Start with shorter durations and lower intensities, gradually increasing them over time.
3. Cooling Strategies: Utilize cooling techniques such as cold towels, ice vests, or cold water immersion before and during exercise to lower core body temperature and delay the onset of fatigue.
4. Nutritional Adjustments: Incorporate SLTL strategies and focus on optimizing fat utilization during exercise to preserve glycogen stores and enhance endurance performance in heat-stressed environments.
Conclusion

Carbohydrate periodization with SLTL strategies and effective management of heat stress are powerful tools that can significantly enhance athletic performance. By strategically manipulating carbohydrate intake and incorporating SLTL techniques, athletes can improve fat oxidation, delay fatigue, and optimize their endurance capacity. Additionally, understanding and implementing strategies to manage heat stress will help athletes navigate challenging environmental conditions and perform at their best.

This is by no means intended to demonize carbohydrates to give the idea they should be avoided. Strategically timing up when consuming those carbs should be the main takeaway.

Study referenced: click here

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Heat, Hydration, Performance, Recovery, Wellness
To rehydrate best and quickly, trusting your thirst may not be the way to go
- May 10, 2023
When training, sweat is naturally going to be a result of it. Especially during the summer months this is going to be even more true. Hydration as always is going to play an important role in balancing that. We know drinking plenty of water is important for overall health and performance but how do you know how to rehydrate properly? Having a plan and system in place can help ensure that you set yourself up to rehydrate properly and thus go into the next event properly hydrated.

Impact of proper hydration

The impact cannot be stated enough yet it’s still all too easy for people to come up short. Going into an event/activity just 2% dehydrated can have a noticeable impact on you. Not only will this decrease physical performance it can also negatively impact cognitive performance. Put those two things together when out on the field and it’s going to be a long day! To add even more, it also increases the risk for soft tissue injuries (ie. muscle tweaks, pulls, tears). Going into practice or a game hydrated begins immediately after your last one ended.

Rehydrate with how much fluid?

After physical activity you’re going to lose weight from the water lost in your sweat. Measuring your weight to determine that loss will tell you how much you need to drink to make up that loss. Before training take your weight in minimal clothing and then after training take your weight in similar clothing but dry clothes to avoid the sweat weighing things down. Whatever that difference is, you need to drink 1 standard bottle (16oz) for every 1 pound lost. This is in addition to what you already need to be drinking for a typical day.

Rehydrate with what beverages?

While water is typically the most easily available, having something with electrolytes can be extra helpful. Added sodium can help the body absorb the water that is being drank to avoid a lot of it passing through by going to the bathroom. Milk is also a great rehydrating beverage and has been shown to help rehydrate equal to sports drinks. The added electrolytes of most sports drinks though have an added bonus where the sodium makes you even more thirsty and thus driving up the fluid intake.

Thirst isn’t your best judge

Thirst increasing from sodium is helpful but don’t rely just on thirst to dictate how much you should drink. A new study dove into this very topic testing individuals after exercise. Up to about a whole day afterwards, those going off of thirst alone were still in a slightly dehydrated state. If those individuals then went into another practice the next day already dehydrated, that will only continue to add to that dehydration. It can be a slippery slope if not mindful. Make sure you try to keep an eye on your weight changes and at a minimum get that 1 bottle per pound drank.

Putting it all together

Your baseline hydration needs are to drink half your body weight (pounds) in ounces of fluid. For example, a 180 pound individual would have a baseline need of 90oz of water per day. The fluid to replace the sweat from their workout gets added onto that. So, if they lost two pounds while practicing, they would need an extra two bottles (32oz) of fluid. This brings their daily total up to 122oz. It might seem like a lot at first but if you gradually build your fluid intake up you’ll start to notice the difference. Enjoy all the benefits of improved performance and decreasing your risk of those annoying soft tissue tweaks.

Study referenced: click here

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Carbs, Heat, Macronutrients, Muscle, Performance, Protein, Recovery
Metabolism changes in the heat impact protein needs
- March 1, 2023
The body goes through a lot when exercising in the heat. On top of the sweat changes that occur there are several changes that occur in metabolism as well. Staying mindful of these changes will allow you to ensure you keep your body optimally prepared. Impacts on the metabolism affect what the body is predominately using during activity. Naturally in response then it impacts what needs to be consumed to optimally recover afterwards.

Performance in hotter temperatures

It shouldn’t come as a surprise but when in a hot environment, performance generally declines. On top of the stress being put on the body physically, it has the added stress of having to try cooling itself down. With that added stress, less focus is able to be purely devoted to muscles to maximize performance. With this divided focus, the metabolism is impacted to try and navigate everything going on

Glucose metabolism in the heat

Given all the craziness that the body is navigating, the body is needing a lot of energy. Not only is it needing a lot, it’s also needing it quickly! The nutrient that is able to most conveniently come to the rescue in a hurry is glucose and carbohydrates. To help with this, having some carbs pre-workout and during can be extra beneficial. If not provided enough glucose through food or drink the body will try to pull them elsewhere from glycogen or…..protein.

Protein metabolism in the heat

Protein is the key component of muscles and naturally we don’t want to make sure it’s being primarily used for muscle building and repair. Unfortunately, in certain situations protein gets prioritized and used for energy more than desired. Training in a hot environment is one of those situations.

Some amino acids (small proteins) are able to be converted into glucose. When the glucose within the body is being used rapidly, extra glucose needs to be provided from somewhere. This is where protein comes into the scene. Increased protein use for energy results in great muscle breakdown and increased overall soreness. To offset this, greater amounts of protein has to be consumed throughout the day. Nobody wants to lose their hard-earned muscle!

Adaptation decreases metabolism impact

Just like with hydration and sweat changes, as the body adapts to the heat so too does the metabolism. The overall stress on the body becomes less as it is less of a shock to the system. Giving the proper time to adapt then decreases that glucose utilization a little bit which preserves the body’s protein stores to decrease protein loss. So during the initial few days, keep these changes in mind to ensure maximum performance and recovery. Have a little bit of extra carbs around and ensure good protein is being consumed at meals and snacks.

Study referenced: click here

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Body Temperature, Heat, Hydration, Performance, safety
Training in the heat recommendations from the Olympic Committee
- February 8, 2023
Most athletes would tell you that they would rather play in the heat than in the cold. That is unless you’re a skier or hockey player of course! Other than those winter sports, most would pick warm weather every day of the week. That’s why most major tournaments are located in areas where the weather is going to be warm, allowing athletes to compete at their best. Competing in hot conditions though requires proper planning to ensure athlete safety. It’s a fine balance between warm and dangerously hot where cooling strategies need to be in place. Helping to combat those challenges, the International Olympic Committee put together a statement on considerations for it.

Too much heat dangers

Being warm is one thing while overheating is a completely different story. When training in the heat, caution needs to be observed. The body tries its best to keep internal temperatures in check but like everything it does have its limits. Unfortunately, if those limits are surpassed it can result in heat strokes and be incredibly dangerous.

Severe exercise-induced heat illness (also referred to as exertional heat stroke) is one of the two main causes of death amongst athletes. As the body begins to overheat it sends the signal to the brain that things need to start slowing down to try and rest and cool. If unable to cool down the body begins to fail and shutdown. To help avoid such scary situations, proper planning and actions need to be kept in mind.

Know the environment

Before traveling anywhere you want to know the type of conditions you are going to be exposed to. If it’s something in Alaska, the heat may not be a major issue for you! Most cases though you will want to do some homework to know how to prepare. Checking the average temperature and humidity will allow you to gauge how much you are likely to sweat and if that sweat will be able to evaporate and cool you down or if it’s too humid. You will also want to know if there is going to be shade available where you’re at. If you are going to be constantly exposed to the sun you’ll want to plan accordingly as well. Then also know the availability of beverages and cooling stations to ensure what you need to bring of your own. You don’t want to have any surprises when you show up!

Heat acclimation

Preparation is important in every aspect of life, including getting your body ready for heat. When exposed to higher temperatures the body goes through several changes to help stay cool. Those adaptations include sweating earlier, sweating more and decreasing the sodium content of the sweat. Too bad those changes don’t occur immediately though. If going into a competition in the heat, you’ll want to ensure your body is ready ahead of time.

In a perfect world it’s recommended to give yourself two weeks to prepare and adapt. Exposing your body to higher temperatures and inducing sweat for 60-90 minutes at a time is the desired timeframe. Doing that four times per week for the two weeks will get your body acclimated and primed to handle the hotter environments when you competition begins. Spending that time in the hot environment itself would be ideal but if unable to do that there are a few alternatives. Hot rooms, saunas and hot baths can be helpful alternatives when living in a cold environment and planning to travel to a hot environment. While not the exact same as actually training in the environment, it still gets the body sweating and making those physiological changes.

Hydration and fluid intake

Once in the environment, you will want to make sure your hydration and fluid intake is appropriate as well. As you become dehydrated, your body has a lower blood volume which decreases the ability to spread out the body heat and cool it down. The goal during competition/training is to drink enough fluid to avoid a weight loss of >2% from sweat. Maintaining that weight represents maintaining proper blood volume for the body to help dissipate that heat.

In order to ensure that excess weight and fluid loss doesn’t occur, it’s important to begin hydrated and drinking early into the event. The goal is not to completely avoid weight loss and definitely not to gain weight. That would represent overhydrating and has it’s own complications associated with it. What we’re aiming to do is help minimize the water loss occurring with sweat. Your body can only absorb so much fluid at a time so by starting early it helps avoid trying to play “catch up” later on in the event.

How much you need to be drinking during competition and training is very individualized. A general rule of thumb is around 1 liter (~32oz) per hour would be about the max to consume and still be comfortable. This can be played around with to find what feels and works best for you. Some may find a bit more can be tolerated while others may have to have a bit less. Adding in some sodium will help the body to absorb and retain that fluid and is important to keep incorporated as well.

Additional considerations

Outside of just general hydration, there are various cooling strategies that can be incorporated as able too. Things such as cold water immersion, cooling vests and mist fans are all great at helping decrease the body temperature. Consuming ice and slushies can be very beneficial as well. Not all of these strategies are able to be implemented depending on the situation but you should keep all options in consideration. Then when preparing figure out what all is feasible and works best for you to help keep cool.

Study referenced: click here

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Heat, Hydration, Performance, Recovery, Wellness
Hydration with water is great but not always best
- January 11, 2023
Hydration plays a huge role in every aspect of our lives from performance to general wellbeing. Performance wise the results can be a bit more noticeable and apparent with more immediate feedback. Knowing hydration is important is one thing but practicing proper hydration is another. Grabbing another glass of water is usually the most common action taken but may not always be the best.

Water’s hydration benefits

Don’t misunderstand, water is still great and should always be on hand! Drinking water throughout the day is a lot more effective at maintaining hydration than trying to chug a whole day’s worth in one hour. Properly drinking water will help you stay energized, aid digestion, improve concentration and help avoid nagging headaches. Spreading it out throughout the day also helps to properly absorb it to ensure it’s being utilized and not just peed out. Situations where quick rehydration is needed or when already dehydrated, other options are likely better.

Upgrade your hydration from just water

A couple little tweaks/additions to your water could really help improve hydration effects of your drink. Drinking the proper amount of fluid is the first step, but to get that water from your gut into your body/blood it needs a little help. Electrolytes, carbs and protein help serve as transporters to bring that fluid in. Having those things in your beverage speeds up the rate of getting fluid into the body before it is excreted.

That is why sports drinks are called “sports” drinks because they help hydrate in those situations where it’s needed most. Athletes and really anyone who exercises, loses a lot of fluid in sweat that needs to be replaced. Incorporating electrolytes and sports drinks at the appropriate times can be key for optimizing performance and decreasing injury risk.

When is each beverage best to have?

Water is always number one. That should be on hand by your side every day always. Certain times though do call for increased hydration needs and importance. If in a situation of having two training sessions or two games in a single day, added electrolytes are 100% necessary. You need to rehydrate the fluid that was lost in the first session/game to go into the second one hydrated.

Training in very hot environments or having very tough/long sessions also warrant an increased focus on electrolytes. There is a lot of sweat that has been lost in those moments that need to be replaced. Maintaining more consistent hydration helps to ensure optimal performance can be achieved, soft tissue injury risk is decreased and that the immune system is able to remain strong as well. All of these things help to ensure getting the most out of training sessions and also staying healthy enough to stay on the field.

Hydration recommendations

Overall fluid intake is still the priority. Aim to drink at least half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of fluid each day. For example, a 160 pound athlete should be drinking at least 80oz of fluid daily.

As for specific types of things to drink, I’m a big fan of The Right Stuff and LMNT for increased electrolyte consumption. The sodium concentration in these are very high and great for heavy sweaters or situations where rapid hydration is needed. They’re great in hot environments too as discussed earlier.

Some carb containing traditional sports drinks like PowerAde and Gatorade are helpful when additional carbs are needed. Situations such as during games, higher intensity training sessions or when back-to-back games are played and overall energy needs are higher. These shouldn’t be consumed casually throughout the entire day though.

Going back to the initial point, drinking enough in general is the key starting point. Get yourself a nice water bottle and keep that next to you each day. Then if needing to top off your hydration, keep a packet of some of those electrolytes handy to throw in that bottle too. Always have to be prepared!

Study referenced: click here

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Body Temperature, Heat, Hydration, Performance, Travel
Preseason hydration needs to keep in mind
- January 4, 2023
Preseason is a unique animal where physical demands significantly increased. Right alongside that, nutrition and hydration demand increase significantly. Typically occurring in warmer places as well which can be a unique challenge. If a player is coming from a cold environment pre-camp, they will have a few days of acclimation. Many changes are occurring all at once and without proper planning could set you up for a tough camp.

Environment impact on preseason hydration

Entering preseason, the main goal is to optimally improve performance as efficiently as possible. Everything is monitored on another level to ensure things are all accounted for. Training loads, meal times, meeting times and everything is typically broken-down minute by minute. What can throw a wrench in this is weather. Storms and rain can keep teams off the field which then means one less session for improvement. In order to decrease the risk of that, typically preseason is held in a warm location that on average doesn’t get much rain or storms.

While nice for a vacation it poses a challenge to athletes from a hydration perspective. Especially if an athlete is coming from a cold environment (like Ohio in January) to a hot environment, the body needs time to adapt. In the first few days there isn’t as much sweat being produced as quickly or as much as may be usual. The sweat that is produced though has a higher sodium concentration. After a few days the body then adapts and begins to sweat earlier and more but it is more diluted with less sodium being lost. This needs to be accounted for in your hydration if in this situation. Prioritize some additional sodium via electrolyte packets or salt at meals in the early days. Then the priority shifts a bit more to overall fluid intake.

Worse hydration = worse training

Nobody feels good when dehydrated. Even slight dehydration though that may not be as noticeable can still have a noticeable impact on your ability to train. Less water in the system results in less overall blood volume. What that means is that the heart has to pump quicker to move the blood throughout the body. Like when your heart rate increases when you train harder forcing you to feel tired, if your heart rate is already starting slightly higher because of dehydration it will have you “hit the wall” that much quicker.

This was demonstrated in the recent study linked at the bottom which showed dehydrated resulted in decreased accelerations/sprints. These are key pieces of training that need to be done to help improve fitness for the upcoming season. If unable to achieve those high speeds, the training sessions won’t be as effective.

Stay cool by staying hydrated this preseason

The blood volume situation mentioned previously also impacts your internal temperature. When the blood is flowing through the body near the surface of the skin, it’s able to be closer to the air. This contact with the air is what can help to cool the blood down as it returns throughout the body. Slightly cooler blood is able to help keep the internal core temperature down. Being hot can be uncomfortable and add a psychological challenge on top of the physical challenge of training.

Maintaining proper blood volume allows for the blood to flow a bit easier to the surface of the skin to achieve that cooling effect. If you’ve ever noticed your veins “popping” a bit more in the heat, this is why. The body is trying to maximize that exposure to help cool itself down.

Ways to monitor your hydration level

One of the oldest strategies is to look at the color of your urine. It’s an oldie but goodie still as it is a very convenient way to tell and is fairly accurate. If your urine is a light pale lemonade color, you’re in good shape. On the opposite end if it’s dark and apple juice colored, you need to grab a bottle of water pronto.

Another helpful strategy can be used to see how you’re hydrating at training itself. This is done by weighing yourself before and after training. When done, that weight difference is how much sweat you lost during training that needs to be replaced. A general rule of thumb is that for every pound lost, drink one 16oz bottle of water/fluid. Overall try to avoid a weight loss of more than 2% of your body weight. For a 150 pound individual this would be 3 pounds or for someone 200 pounds it would be 4 pounds.

Maintaining that hydration will ensure you are staying ready to maximize your training sessions. By being able to more consistently train harder you’ll see more results and apply that to an overall better season. Last but not least as well, proper hydration decreases your risk of soft tissue injury. These are things like those annoying muscle pulls/tweaks. Keep yourself on the field and maximize your potential by keeping that water bottle on hand!

Study referenced: click here

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Heat, Hydration, Macronutrients, Performance
Do extra carbs in an ice-slushy help lower body temperature better?
- October 15, 2022
When exercising our body gets hotter and hotter. The longer and more intense the exercise is, the more that temperature increases. As the temperature rises though our body begins to slow us down to avoid over-heating. This is why we tend to feel a bit more tired quicker in hot weather. On the other hand if we add a few things to help lower body temperature we may improve performance.

Ways to lower body temperature

Our body naturally tries to keep us cool and generally does a great job of it. The number one strategy is through sweat. As the sweat evaporates off of us it creates a cooling effect. In humid conditions where sweat isn’t able to evaporate that doesn’t happen. That’s why hot and humid conditions can be very dangerous.

Wearing thin/light clothing helps to keep our skin exposed to the surrounding air. Wind going across our skin helps to cool the blood near the surface. As we get hot the blood tends to push more towards the surface for this. This is why you may notice your veins pop out a bit more in the heat.

Other ways to help include cooling the body externally with cold towels or ice packs and internally with cold beverages or slushies.

The perks of slushies on body temperature

First, who doesn’t like a good slushy? But they offer a performance benefit as well. As mentioned previously our body starts to heat up as we train and work harder. Most cooling strategies of cold towels, fans, clothing and shade coverings address the external cooling. But internally the heat can still be building.

This is where slushies come to the rescue! Having a cold iced beverage like that is able to get into the gut and help cool the body from the inside out. Now I know it’s not very functional to have a slushy machine on the sideline to have in the moment. But having a slushy before can help provide a bit of buffer to give extra time before the body heats up. The question now is can something be added to the slushy to make it even better? Carbs are the first on the list analyzed.

Carbs impact (or lack thereof) on lowering body temp

This compared one slushy with a typical amount of carbs in it with another slushy with twice as much. In controlled environments, the impact on body temperatures were…..the same. Extra carbs and extra calories in general can help provide additional energy to improve performance. None of the benefits being provided by the carbs appear to be related to lower body temperature effects.

Is a sugar rush slushy needed?

Nope. Short sweet and to the point there. This likely doesn’t come as a surprise to many, myself included. But just because I didn’t think there would be anything doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out! Keeping an open mind to potentially being wrong is never a bad thing. But this study does show that slushies can help keep core temperatures down regardless of carb content. So if going to compete in a hot/humid environment, looking to see if you can grab a slushy beforehand could be worth a try if that is appealing to you. Just maybe don’t grab some extra sugar packets to try and throw in there.

Study referenced: click here

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Hydration, Performance, Recovery, Wellness
Chill Out and Perform Better – Keeping Cool In Heat
- March 13, 2022
When we workout, train and compete our body generates heat. This heat is generated due to the energy our body produces to allow us to perform. Obviously though we don’t want to get too hot! As our temperature increases our body has to work harder to maintain our performance and keeping cool. Fatigue then begins to set in and our body forces us to slow down. If we don’t slow down and our temperature continues to climb we can have big problems! To fight this our body works to try and cool itself down but there are things we can do to help it.

Why do we care about keeping cool? Safety

If we get too hot it can become very dangerous. Just like a car will breakdown if it overheats, our body’s respond the same way. A significant increase in our internal body temperature can lead to heat exhaustion and heat strokes. Neither of those are a good time. Unfortunately though many people suffer from over heating every year.

High school football has in particular received a lot of attention due to the number of players who have collapsed from heat exhaustion. This can be attributed to several factors leading it to be a perfect storm. A major reason is simply the equipment that is used with helmets and pads. On top of that two-a-day practices are very common causing increased exposure to the heat outdoors and potential dehydration. But perhaps the biggest factor that applies to much more than just the sport, is the age of these athletes.

Adolescents are at an increased risk for heat related problems due to their body’s not being fully developed yet. Their body’s don’t have the full capability to cool themselves yet which we’ll dive into here shortly. Because they’re still developing, coaches and training staffs need to be very cautious and mindful with youth athletes.

Our body naturally try’s to keep us cool

The human body is incredibly resilient and try’s really hard to keep us up and moving. Which is greatly appreciated! In regards to what our body does specifically to keep us cool, sweat and blood flow distribution are the main methods.

We’ve all been in a hot situation where we are sweating buckets! Sometimes it’s out on the field and other times it’s at that family member’s house who keeps the heat on way too high. We’re ok for a little bit but eventually the sweat inevitably comes. The interesting part though is that simply sweating isn’t what cools our body down. It’s when the sweat evaporates that we cool off.

Think of when you get out of the shower. Even though there’s no wind blowing we feel noticeably more cold. If our sweat isn’t able to evaporate then sweating doesn’t help us and is simply reducing our blood volume due to the volume of liquid being lost. When it’s very humid outside there’s already a lot of moisture in the air and it prevents our sweat from being able to evaporate and cool us off. That’s why extra caution is needed on those hot and humid days especially!

Now for the blood distribution piece, this involves our body pumping blood towards our skin. By having blood closer to the surface of our skin, the wind/air traveling over it will help to cool down the blood. Then the slightly cooled down blood can travel back through the body helping cool the body down internally.

Have you ever notice your veins sticking out a bit more in hot/humid environments? Now you know why! It’s the body directing the blood to the surface more in hopes of cooling down more. When we’re dehydrated though, this becomes very challenging.

Keeping cool means keeping hydrated

If we don’t replace the fluid being lost in sweat, our blood volume decreases. Less blood means it gets hot faster and isn’t able to stay at the surface of the skin long enough to cool down because it has to keep circulating. No rest for the weary!

Think about what takes longer to come to a boil on the stove; a cup of water or a large pot? Spoiler, it’s the cup!

In our body, we want to avoid that boiling point for as long as we can. Like the large pot of water, not being dehydrated and drinking plenty of fluid keeps our blood volume up. Cheers to that.

Having some extra sodium with that fluid though can be very helpful. Sodium will help our body to absorb and hold onto that water a bit better. The main goal of all of this is to increase that blood volume to keep us cool and avoid overheating.

Ways to help chill out

In addition to simply drinking more, there are several ways in which we can help keep our body cool.

Keeping our beverages cold is the low hanging fruit of everything. Pack your water and electrolyte drinks in a cooler with ice packs as a simple and quick solution. Pro tip: freezing a water bottle will allow it to act as an ice pack and then when it melts you have extra fluid to drink. Helps to make the most of limited space and the cold beverages help to cool us internally from the inside out.

In a similar manner slushies and popsicles can be a great way to help drop our core temperature. As an added benefit, making slushies out of sports drinks can help to provide some additional electrolytes as well. Who wouldn’t like a cold lemon lime Gatorade after a hot practice?

Cooling ourselves externally is incredibly helpful as well. Grabbing some cold towels and ice packs to throw on ourselves is great. There are a few specific locations though that can impact our temperature to a great extent though and should be the areas to focus on when possible. These areas are where larger blood vessels are closer to the surface allowing closer direct contact to our blood. Those hot spots (pun intended) are our neck, armpits and groin. If needing to cool down quickly, that is where you need to focus placing ice.

So chill out, stay safe and keep your performance up. The more of these things you can incorporate, the cooler you will be.

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