Even a Little Heat Can Strain Your Heart

I consider myself in pretty good shape. The dental assistant said my blood pressure was perfect. (They take it before every exam.) That’s good enough for me. I’ll continue my daily walks no matter how high the thermometer reads.

People in every neighborhood we have ever lived in call us out for being crazy to walk during summer afternoons here in Southwest Florida.

To be honest, we are the only ones on the sidewalk at 3 p.m. on a sweltering July day. I may have to rethink my routine, though. After I read this article in Nature.

Even temperatures as low as 93 degrees, with enough humidity, will increase your heart rate:

“This rise, also known as cardiovascular strain, occurs even before a person’s internal temperature starts to increase.”

And, the heat could affect your heart even if you are not moving:

“A study by Lewis Halsey at the University of Roehampton in London and his colleagues found that, at 50% humidity, the heart rate of participants at rest was, on average, 64% higher at 50 °C than at 28 °C. ‘So if you are resting and you're out in the sun, on the beach or whatever, your heart rate will still increase,’ Halsey says.”

That’s a little disturbing. I thought that when I left the Midwest and stopped shoveling snow, I was in the clear, turns out, maybe not.

How Can You Protect Your Heart in the Heat?

I mean, what am I supposed to do all summer here in Florida? Just stay in the air conditioning and hope for the best?

Actually some people treat Florida summers like Midwest winters, and simply stay indoors most of the time. Not an option for me; Now what?

Of course, you need to be strategic about the time of day you exercise, stay hydrated, and limit intense work outs if temperatures soar. But this article by South Denver Cardiology Group, also adds that if you experience these symptoms, stop exercising immediately:

Excessive fatigue

Shortness of breath

Dizziness

Chest pain

Rapid or irregular heartbeat

“If these symptoms don’t go away shortly after you stop exercising, seek medical attention right away since they might be a warning sign of a potential cardiac incident.”

I always thought of myself as “tough.” I can handle the heat because I’m in good shape. Maybe I need to let go of that false bravado. None of us is immune to the heat, no matter what shape we’re in.

And honestly, I’m not that fit. I couldn’t run a marathon if my life depended on it. So, why test fate? Or scientific research for that matter.

Every summer we hear about people collapsing on the golf course from the heat. I bet they thought they were in top physical condition as well.

When the ambulance rolls up to take you away, does it really matter how “tough” you thought you looked to the neighbors, or your golf buddies?

That “I can handle anything Mother Nature throws my way,” mentality will not win you a medal. In fact, it just might land you in the emergency room.

This summer, instead of walking twice a day in the blazing sun, I’ll power walk early in the morning, and if I feel the need for another stroll, there’s always the treadmill or my trusty Peleton.

And just maybe, those lifelong Floridians who treat summers in the sunshine state the same as Midwesterners look at winter, have the right idea after all.

I mean, there is a reason the sidewalks in our neighborhood are completely deserted on summer afternoons.