Football practice starts soon in much of the country, and the athletes will experience very hot and humid conditions. For anyone who trains in the summer heat, even if you don’t play football, it’s critical to take steps to avoid heat illness or even catastrophic exertional heat stroke.

In this video, I share 5 simple tips to help you avoid trouble training in the summer heat.

Drink water throughout the day.

In hot and humid conditions, drinking some water right before and during practice isn’t going to be enough. make sure to drink enough water throughout the day during these training sessions.

Weigh yourself before and after practice.

You will lose body weight in sweat if you don’t drink enough fluids during practice. Weighing yourself before and after training will give you a good idea how well you replaced your lost body fluid.

Use sports drinks if practicing longer than an hour.

For shorter training sessions, water is usually fine. For longer practices, sports drinks can replace some of the electrolytes lost in sweat.

Also read:
Water vs. sports drinks – Is one better for you?

Get used to the summer heat gradually.

Many states have acclimatization guidelines for summer practices. The key is to allow the athletes to gradually get used to the heat, adding in longer practices and more equipment over many days.

Let your coach or athletic trainer know if you don’t feel good.

Toughing it out when you start to feel sick is a bad idea. Often coaches will not notice you are sick with so many players on the field. You must let your coach or athletic trainer know that you are nauseated, dizzy or just don’t feel good. Get out of the heat, drink water and let the medical staff check you out.

Also read:
Exertional heat stroke and the importance of on-site treatment