oppressive heat

[bacarver]

Oh, my gosh. The heat wave here in Southern Indiana is unbelievable. I rode through the summer heat last year but this is too much. The next day I can ride will be Thursday August 9th and it will be 99 degrees F. I feel like I'm being microwaved inside. My body is responding to the extreme weather by gaining weight although I don't know why. I'm not eating more. Guess I'll be back on the trainer in the coolness of my basement. I'm not able to ride early in the day or late in the evening. I'm bummed out because my mileage for the year was really good. I won't be able to get back on the road bike till this heat wave ends. Anyone else out there having to change routines due to this?

Barb

[smilingcat]

????

working out in extreme heat and gaining weight? I hope its muscle mass and not the other stuff. Last time I read about workout, heat & weight, the paper said if you work out in hot weather, you tend to lose the fat. This is the way body copes with heat, to improve the heat transfer from your core to the outside world.

The paper also said that this is the reason why swimming wasn't a good way to lose weight. The water has so much heat capacity that it can remove excess heat from the body while a long distance runner can't so the runners shed the fat. Long distance runner's aren't skinny by the virtue of all the expended Calories. Swimmer can also expend the same amount of Calories and the difference is how the body has to deal with the excess heat build up in their core. Swimming, you are water cooled running, you are air-cooled.

Also if the heat is so stiffling, can you go out and ride at 4 or 5AM or even 6AM.

Smilingcat

[Zen]

Before i say anything about swimming, i have to ask what you're drinking.
is it a sugar-laden sports drink and because it's so hot you're drinking more?

As for swimming, I have this article from my files. I would like to credit the source but unfortunately don't have that information.


The truth about swimming and weight loss...
Swimming is often touted as the best form of exercise for weight loss. And when you think about it, it seems to make sense.
After all, swimming uses almost all of your major muscle groups. It places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs. Swimming is also popular with people who are extremely overweight, pregnant, or suffering from some kind of injury.
When you swim breastroke or backstroke, you're burning about the same number of calories as a fast walk or a slow jog. However, for some reason, swimming appears to be less effective than other forms of exercise at promoting weight loss.
Swimming weight loss
Research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine shows that in the absence of a controlled diet, swimming has little or no effect on weight loss [1].
Professor Grant Gwinup compared three exercise programs for three months. Each program began with up to 10 minutes of daily exercise. The length of each workout was increased by five minutes every week.
• Test subjects following the walking program lost 17 pounds of weight during the three-month study.
• Those following the cycling program lost 19 pounds of weight.
• However, subjects following the swimming program actually gained 5 pounds.
Assuming that all three groups burned a similar number of calories, the swimmers must have compensated by eating more. "Presumably," speculates Professor Gwinup, "swimming in cold water stimulates the appetite to increase caloric consumption."
Professor Louise Burke, Head of Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport, also points out that competitive swimmers typically have body fat levels that are higher than those of runners or cyclists who expend a similar amount of energy when they train.
"Many female swimmers have fought well-publicized battles with their body fat levels," says Burke. "They are generally prescribed 'land training' (running or cycling) in addition to their many laps of the pool in the belief that it is a necessary treatment to produce lower skinfold levels."
Appetite
There are suggestions that swimming doesn't cause the same drop in appetite that accompanies heavy running and cycling training. Many people feel extremely hungry after training in the pool, and may simply replace all the calories they've burned with a large post-exercise meal.
"Many people observe that they feel like 'eating a horse' after they have finished a swim training session, and may overcompensate for the energy they have just burned," says Professor Burke.
"Some research suggests that this is due to the cool temperatures in which swimmers train. By contrast, runners and cyclists usually experience an increase in body temperature during training, which may serve to suppress appetite - at least in the short term."
In one recent study, researchers examined the effect of water temperature on calorie intake after exercise [3].
A group of 11 men exercised for 45 minutes in "neutral" and "cold" water temperatures. After the workout, they were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted.
The men burned a similar number of calories in the cold and neutral water conditions, averaging 505 and 517 calories, respectively. However, calorie intake after exercise in the cold water averaged 877 calories, which was 44% more than for the neutral temperature. The problem here is that the water temperature during the "cold" condition was extremely cold (20 degrees celsius), and isn't really indicative of the water temperature of most pools (which is usually nearer 30 degrees celsius).
Professor Burke also points out that swimmers are less active outside their training sessions. They are so tired from the hours spent training that they sleep, sit or otherwise avoid any real physical activity outside their sessions.
In one study, researchers compared collegiate swimmers and collegiate distance runners [2]. As you can see in the table below, the runners had lower body fat levels than swimmers. However, detailed three-day food records and one-day activity records offered no convincing explanation as to why.
Swimmers Runners
Men 12% 7%
Women 20% 15%
According to Professor Burke, it's almost impossible to measure usual energy intake from diaries.
"Apart from the errors in translating descriptions of food into calorie counts," she says, "it is unlikely that people eat 'normally' while they are recording. It is well-known that those who are conscious of their body fat underreport their food intake."
"In reporting, athletes try to appear as 'good' as possible and thereby cover-up the clues to any energy balance problems. The behavior of individuals may also be masked by the 'averaging' of results."
Burke also speculates that elite swimmers are predisposed to higher body fat levels because it is a help, or at least less of a disadvantage, to their swimming - rounded shoulders and smooth curves may simply be more biomechanically sound than bony angles.
Muscle
One of the reasons a properly designed weight-training program is so effective at burning fat is that just one workout can give your metabolic rate a real boost. In some cases, this rise can last for well over a day [4].
When your metabolic rate goes up, you burn more calories. And more calories burned means faster weight loss.
One of the things that contribute to this rise in metabolic rate is the muscle damage caused during resistance exercise [5]. And it's eccentric muscle actions (pronounced ee-sen-trick) that appear to cause most of this damage.
What's an eccentric muscle action?
Take one hand and let it hang down by your side. Now, bend your arm as if you were curling a weight, bringing your hand towards your shoulder.
The muscle that's working to raise your arm is the biceps (other smaller muscles are also working to assist it). The movement is known as a concentric muscle action (pronounced con-sen-trick).
If you lower your arm under control (rather than just letting it flop down) your biceps are working again. Only this time, the muscle action is called eccentric.
So, what does all of this have to do with swimming? Most of the work your body does in the water involves concentric muscle actions. There's virtually no eccentric work there at all. Because of this, I'm guessing that swimming has only a minor impact on your metabolic rate after exercise.
The bottom line
I prefer to put all forms of exercise into one of three categories - good, better or best.
Any form of exercise, be it swimming, walking or weight-training, is good if the alternative is doing nothing. A mixture of some form of resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise is better, while combining interval exercise and free weights - in my opinion at least - is the best way to get in shape (see How to fight fat and win in the Members-Only Area for an example of this type of program).
Losing weight is all about burning more calories than you eat. Any form of exercise, swimming included, will get the job done.
If you enjoy swimming, then stick with it. It's more important to be consistent with an exercise program you enjoy than to be inconsistent with one you hate. Just make sure to guard against the urge to eat more after you get out of the pool.

References
1. Gwinup, G. (1987). Weight loss without dietary restriction: Efficacy of different forms of aerobic exercise. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 15, 275-279
2. Jang, K.T., Flynn, M.G., Costill, D.L., Kirwan, J.P., Houmard, J.A., Mitchell, J.B., & D'Acquisto, L.J. (1987). Energy balance in competitive swimmers and runners. Journal of Swimming Research, 3, 19-23
3. White, L.J., Dressendorfer, R.H., Holland, E., McCoy, S.C., & Ferguson, M.A. (2005). Increased caloric intake soon after exercise in cold water. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 15
4. Schuenke, M.D., Mikat, R.P., & McBride, J.M. (2002). Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 86, 411-417
5. Dolezal, B.A., Potteiger, J.A., Jacobsen, D.J., & Benedict, S.H. (2000). Muscle damage and resting metabolic rate after acute resistance exercise with an eccentric overload. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32, 1202-1207

[sundial]

Bacarver, we are suppose to get temps in the 100's starting Wednesday. I rode this morning at 7:30 a.m. and it was pleasant--even with temps in the low 90's. After working on the hills, I loaded up and headed for a state park that has shaded roads. Do you have access to something like that?

I'm curious as to why you don't feel you are up to cycling in the early a.m.

[sundial]

Zencentury, thanks for posting the article. I've often wondered why I am famished after swimming.

[SouthernBelle]

I headed out at 5:30 a.m., which was as soon as it was light enough. Still wasn't cool, but wasn't 100 which it is about now. Also very pleasant as there is little traffic.

[VeloVT]

The hottest ride I've done so far this year was 96 degrees (and humid, with no wind & bright sun, of course).

I just wore bike shorts and a sports bra. May have looked funny (& "fred"?)but helped with the heat. I was still soaked when I got back.

But I'm also not terribly affected by the heat. I can run in very hot weather, it slows me down a little but not too much. My bf, on the other hand, really has to run early in the morning because he overheats, gets red and feels sick.

Smilingcat, that's quite interesting about fatburning being sort of a thermoregulatory response. I guess it makes sense...

So anyway, if you want to try riding in the heat, wearing as little as possible helps and drinking LOTS of water also helps. I drink alot anyway on the bike but I'll drink almost twice as much if it's really hot.

Good luck and I hope it cools down for you soon. (I actually crave this kind of heat because it's so cold here the rest of the year).

[sundial]

Liza, I can handle temps up to 98 F, and after that I have to start calling it quits because the heat coming off the road is H O T. Ack!!

I'm really bad about not drinking enough BEFORE the ride. I drink plenty ON the ride but I wonder if my cycling would improve with just a little more pre-ride hydration.

Just think, before we know it the time change will be here and we'll have to wait for the weekend rides to get our miles in.

[Kano]

Top temp I've ridden in here has been about 105. As long as I stay hydrated, I seem to do okay, even though this is mighty hot, and the sun is out, and it's DRY here! (for those of you in more moist climates -- I remember thinking it was absolutely hilarious when people started talking about the weather being "muggy" and the humidity was at 29%!!!)

What has made me adjust my riding has been smoky air in our valley this summer. That bothers me far more than the heat! With no end to that in sight, I'm almost to the point of riding anyway, and taking a daily dose of Claritan to keep my sinuses in business! (or would that be out of mischief?)

Karen in Boise

[VeloVT]

I'm really bad about not drinking enough BEFORE the ride. I drink plenty ON the ride but I wonder if my cycling would improve with just a little more pre-ride hydration.

I've started carrying a 24oz water bottle around the house with me. If I'm working on something and I finish a glass of whatever I'm drinking, I'll often wait until I'm at a stopping place to get more... but if I have 24 oz to drink instead of 8-12, and still bring it with me to refill each time I get up, I definitely end up drinking more.

I've found that being better hydrated throughout the day really makes a difference for running in the heat -- probably for cycling also, but it's less noticeable for me because I always have water on the bike, but I only bring water on runs if they're pretty long -- over 12 miles or so. I get calf cramps when I'm dehydrated on runs. Blech!

[missymaya]

I have to agree with the early am rides. I started riding at 4 just so I can ride due to my work schedule and the weather and traffic that I don't want to deal with. It's great, granted it's still humid as all heck, but definately a lot cooler and virtually no traffic at all.
Do you drink enough early enough when you ride? I had to train myself to start drinking water about 1-20 minutes into the rides because I was loosing so much just working in the heat. That can be affecting how your body's reacting to the heat later on in your rides or even after your rides. And I double what liza has said about drinking h2o during the day.

[bacarver]

Thanks for all the replies! It's great to be connected to such a smart group. I'm 47 and my metabolism/weight is an ongoing mystery to me. I'm 5'5" and holding at 116 lbs. most of the time. I'm a nurse and am familiar with sensible nutrition and dietary guidelines. But, for some reason there is a connection between this stifling weather and the fact that I'm suddenly up 2 lbs. I keep food and exercise logs and everything else is the same. I'm thinking that the heat is changing the way my body processes fluid. I don't drink sugared drinks. No way. I cannot ride early morning because of my night shift job. Can't ride late evening because of family routines. I had a bike wreck 2 years ago and now I always wear an undershirt beneath my jersey in case I crash again. The extra layers will protect my skin. I prefer warm weather but this is beyond my limit. I cannot handle drinking enough to hydrate myself. The water just sloshes around in my stomach and makes me sick. I get migraines if I get too hot. I really respect Tour riders because they have to have so many skills. Eating and drinking on the bike is just one of them. I sure hope we get relief soon!

[smilingcat]

Hi Zen,

Really ineresting read. So the reason why swimmers can't lose weight is, they are compensating by eating more food (naturally) and it may have to do with lack of heat causes supression of food intake. Is there a relationship to why the suppression of hunger when one's core temperature goes up? Is it related to wanting to lose the fat for heat regulation of the core body temp? Interesting thoughts with your paper. I wish I could find mine but its been 25 years...

I know from personal experience from running 5k and 10k's during the heat wave in NYC and at other times. I was much lighter during the heat wave of '82? in NYC then at any other time. I was at 106lb during the heat wave compared to normal of 110-114lb in cooler times. I think I still ate like a horse in either periods.

smilingcat

[Jolt]

Liza, I can handle temps up to 98 F, and after that I have to start calling it quits because the heat coming off the road is H O T. Ack!!

Wow, you're a lot better with the heat than I am!!! I start feeling it when it gets into the low 80's, although I have found that I can tolerate the heat better on the bike than running (maybe it has to do with going faster and having that breeze). And yes, the hot blacktop is the pits!

[Jolt]

Thanks for all the replies! It's great to be connected to such a smart group. I'm 47 and my metabolism/weight is an ongoing mystery to me. I'm 5'5" and holding at 116 lbs. most of the time. I'm a nurse and am familiar with sensible nutrition and dietary guidelines. But, for some reason there is a connection between this stifling weather and the fact that I'm suddenly up 2 lbs. I keep food and exercise logs and everything else is the same. I'm thinking that the heat is changing the way my body processes fluid.

Sounds like maybe you're just retaining fluid?