What are some common environmental concerns?
Extremes of temperature and humidity pose special problems for the exerciser. In hot weather, care must be taken to wear clothing that is light, breathes well, and allows for the evaporation of sweat. “Sauna suits”, “tummy wraps”, and other products designed to encourage quick weight loss through sweat are particularly dangerous – the body can reach dangerous (or even fatal) core temperatures in very short periods of time. Weight lost by these methods will be regained as soon as water is ingested again, and so the risk outweighs any “benefit”. On extremely humid days care must be taken to exercise at an appropriately lowered intensity, out of the high heat/humidity, or even to postpone exercise until the heat/humidity diminish. As exercise intensity increases and more heat must be dissipated, evaporation of sweat becomes the principal means by which cooling occurs. In a high-humidity environment, evaporation becomes less effective at cooling, and the risk of heat-related injury is grea
