In the summer, I like to exercise in an air-conditioned room. To prevent "sadness", I need to warm up to this extent...

The high temperature since the beginning of summer is not only unbearable for ordinary people, but even those who usually have the habit of outdoor sports can't help but complain! Therefore, in the hot summer, many people choose to go to the gym to exercise and cool down. However, doctors remind people that if they do not warm up properly before exercising in an air-conditioned room after switching from a hot outdoor environment, not only will they fail to achieve the desired exercise effect, but they may also damage their cardiovascular health and increase the risk of "heat injury". Be careful!

How does human body dissipate heat through exercise? Doctor: 90% depends on evaporation through capillaries

Zhang Huairen, who usually serves as a "medical runner" in sports competitions and is also a resident physician in the Department of Neurology at Shuanghe Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that before discussing why warm-up is so important for sports and human health, it might be helpful to first understand how the human body's "heat dissipation mechanism" works?

In fact, humans, who are not objects, have three ways of dissipating body heat, namely conduction, convection and radiation, which are well known to everyone. Up to 90% of the heat energy is mainly dissipated through the expansion of pores on the surface of the skin, which produces "evaporation". This maintains a dynamic balance between heat production and heat dissipation, keeping the body's functions functioning well.

Don’t underestimate warm-up exercise! Warming up is essential to prevent heat damage and cardiovascular health

Therefore, Dr. Zhang Huairen pointed out that when people seek coolness and go to air-conditioned rooms or gyms to exercise, the body's originally open pores will shrink due to contact with cold air during the process of switching between the high temperature outdoors and the cold and hot air in the air-conditioned room.

If people do not warm up sufficiently before doing exercise according to the scheduled exercise program, the contracted pores will open again. In the short term, not only will the heat energy generated by the body during subsequent exercise and activities be unable to be effectively released; it will also cause physiological and muscle functions to be unable to keep up with the speed of exercise, thereby affecting athletic performance, leading to muscle strain, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and even heat injuries such as heat stroke.

In the long run, it is more likely to damage the cardiovascular system and increase the burden on the cardiopulmonary system. The potential harm to health should not be underestimated! Therefore, if you want to protect your health and allow your body to perform at its best, you should warm up thoroughly before exercise, especially when entering an environment with a drastic temperature difference.

Is that enough warm-up? Doctor: Aerobic exercise is better than stretching, and sweating is an indicator

Since warming up is so important, how can ordinary people judge whether they have warmed up enough? In this regard, Dr. Zhang Huairen said that from the perspective of sports medicine, the warm-up time will vary according to each person's physical condition and sport, and may be as short as 15 to 20 minutes or as long as 30 to 40 minutes. In fact, the key to determining whether you have warmed up enough is whether your body has successfully "sweaten" during the warm-up process!

In addition to using sweating as a way to determine whether the warm-up is sufficient, Dr. Zhang Huairen also mentioned that compared to the traditional stretching warm-up method that mainly aims to stretch muscles, he said that aerobic exercises such as jogging, brisk walking, rhythmic gymnastics, etc. that involve repetitive movements and help improve cardiopulmonary capacity are his more recommended warm-up items. It is recommended that people should gradually increase the speed of aerobic exercise from weak to strong before exercising, so that the body in standby state can be successfully warmed up and sweat fully. This is a good way to effectively improve exercise efficiency, prevent heat damage and sports injuries, and reduce the burden on the cardiovascular system.

To avoid sports injuries, don’t ignore these things during upper body exercises!

In addition to emphasizing the importance of a proper warm-up, Dr. Zhang Huairen also reminded that in order to effectively prevent sports injuries and improve exercise efficiency, in addition to proper hydration before and during exercise, he also suggested that when people want to replenish calories during long-term, high-intensity exercises such as marathons and triathlons, they should try to avoid consuming relatively difficult-to-digest protein foods to increase the burden on the body and energy metabolism. Instead, it is a good choice to supplement with sugars that can be directly absorbed and used by the human body, such as fruits, sugary sports drinks, etc.

The most important thing is that whether exercising outdoors or in an air-conditioned room, people should be careful to prevent heat injuries such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Once symptoms such as dizziness, no sweating during intense exercise, and black/bright patches in front of your eyes occur, it is recommended that you stop exercising immediately and seek assistance from professional fitness coaches and medical staff on site to save your life.