Sure, you need to train hard to continue making progress, but jeopardizing your overall health and well being is a real possibility. Taking certain precautions can help you maximize your training gains and stay safe when exercising in the heat.

1. Acclimate Yourself

Acclamation refers to adaptive changes your body goes through when repeatedly exposed to heat, a process that can take up to 14 days. The first two weeks of heat exposure result in positive physiological adaptations such as increased sweating capacity, increased plasma volume, decreased skin blood flow and a lower sweating threshold (you begin to sweat earlier). These adaptations reduce your risk of a heart related injury during exercise, but only occur if you pair your exposure to heat with light to moderate exercise.

2. Know the Warning Signs

Heat related illness may include heart cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Symptoms may include headache, nausea, dizziness, visual impairment, extreme discomfort, weakness, excessive sweating, or cessation of sweating. If you experience any of these warning signs, get out of the heat and seek medical attention.

3. Change Your Workout Times

If you usually exercise during the middle of the day or on your lunch hour, try modifying your workout schedule to avoid the intense heat of the afternoon sun. Early morning or evening hours bring cooler temperatures and less risk of heat illness.

4. Be Lean

Carrying excess body fat may reduce your body's ability to effectively manage hotter temperatures. Body fat interferes with heat dissipation because it acts as insulation, keeping the heat in when you really want to get rid of it. The added weight also increases your metabolic cost of activity, which in turn increases your body's heat production. Ideal body fat percentages vary by age, gender and fitness level. As a rough estimate, men with 20% body fat and women with 25% body fat or more could run into problems.

5. Don't Exercise When You're Sick

Avoid training in the heat or if you've been vomiting or have a fever, nausea or diarrhea. Other conditions that increase your sensitivity to heat include sleep loss, glycogen depletion, and the dreaded hangover. These are synonymous with dehydration and increased heat production in the body.

6. Stay in Shape During Winter

Maintaining a high level of fitness during the cooler months will help you acclimate faster once the heat and humidity begin to rise. Improved fitness expands your blood volume, providing a more sensitive heat dissipation response when your internal core temperature increases in response to exercise and environmental conditions. You might acclimate more quickly, in other words, but you still can't escape the acclimatization process entirely.

7. Talk to Your Physician

If you take medication, ask your doctor if it might interfere with your ability to exercise in the heat. Some drugs, such as thyroid hormones, antihistamines, diuretics and beta blockers can increase the risk of hyperthermia (high body temperature and your risk of heat related illness).

8. Hydration is Key

Consuming enough fluids before, during and after exercise is critical to decreasing your risk of heat related illness. To make sure you drink enough, follow these guidelines: 20 ounces of fluid 60 minutes before exercise, 12 - 16 ounces 15 minutes before exercise, and 8 - 12 ounces every 15 - 20 minutes during exercise. After exercise, drink approx 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight you may have lost.

Following a structured fluid intake schedule is important because thirst is an unreliable indicator of your fluid needs. By the time you become thirsty, you may already be in danger of a heat related illness. Avoid fluids containing caffeine or alcohol, which tend to promote dehydration. Sports drinks are unnecessary unless you exercise at high intensities.

9. Dress Appropriately

Not wearing the right clothing when you exercise can decrease your body's cooling ability through the evaporation of sweat. Minimize the amount of clothing you wear (avoid multiple layers) to provide for an optimal skin surface area from which evaporation can occur. Wear loose clothing made of light weight, open weave fabric or material that wicks moisture away. Avoid fabrics such as rubber or plastic which cause the body's temperature to rise dramatically, which may increase your risk of heat related illness.

10. Lower Workout Intensity & Duration

As you start the acclimatization process, decrease the intensity and/or length of your workouts. For the first few days, work at an intensity that's about 50% of your maximum heart rate for no more than 60 minutes. If you want to train closer to 75% of your maximum heart rate, exercise for just 30 - 35 minutes.

Reducing your exercise intensity decreases the amount of internal heat you produce, allowing your body to adapt to the external heat. After your first few workouts, you can begin to progressively increase the intensity and/or duration of your sessions, but it's still wise to avoid vigorous (greater than 75% maximum heart rate) aerobic type outdoor exercise in very hot and humid temperatures.

Your body has a more difficult time cooling itself during these conditions because the sweat you produce doesn't evaporate as well.