Tips to get or stay active during summer

AN ACTIVE lifestyle seems attainable in spring, and perhaps even more so on New Year’s Eve as we commit ourselves to resolutions.

But as summer temperatures soar, it can become difficult to leave the comfort of an airconditioned room and meet the 30-minute a day recommended level of activity.

Tamara Peace, manager and personal trainer at Snap fitness in Epsom said the trick is to start small and focus on getting into the habit of being active.

“It’s the tiny changes that you make in the gym, but also outside the gym, like I think a lot of people forget about that aspect,” she said.

“Even just waking up a little bit earlier and going for a 10-minute walk, those little habits are the biggest ones, I think.”

Keeping cool while working out in hot weather is important and Ms Peace said she recommends having some icy poles and lots of water on hand.

“My recommendation would be to always drink plenty of water before and after your workout,” she said.

“Just don’t push yourself too hard in the heat, just take it a little bit easier than what you would normally do.”

A good way to keep up with exercise, Ms Peace said, is to add in different types of activity to your roster.

“Just change up your exercise routine a little bit, like if you don’t want to be running in 40-degree heat don’t do that,” she said.

“Come do a mat Pilates under the air con or reformer Pilates, you know any kind of workout is better than nothing.”

Ms Peace said she is a cardio enthusiast but doesn’t enjoy running in the heat and will exercise in the mornings to beat the heat.

“I’ll get up nice and early and do like a 6am class or an 8am class and get it over and done with before the heat comes in,” she said.