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 FITNESS FITNESS 

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HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING

Mountain View News Saturday, July 12, 2025

UNLOCK YOUR LIFE


Lori A. Harris

HOW HEAT AFFECTS YOUR 
WORKOUT


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness.

THE BRIDGE TO FREEDOM: 

Why Forgiveness is Your Greatest Gift to Yourself

It’s easy to enjoy a sunny day, until you try to exercise 
in it. Surprisingly, the sun can do more than make 
you sweat. It can actually change how your body works.

 

Moving through the hot summer months, many people try 
to keep up with outdoor workouts. Whether walking, running, 
biking, or playing sports, the sun plays a bigger role 
than you might think. And it's not always a helpful one.

Your body is like a machine. When you exercise, your muscles 
heat up. When you're also out in the sun, that heat builds up even 
more. To keep you from overheating, your body sweats and your 
blood moves closer to your skin to cool you down. That means 
less blood is going to your muscles, and that makes your workout 
feel harder even if you're doing the same thing you always do.

The hotter it gets, the more your body struggles to stay cool. 
Your heart works harder, your breathing gets faster, and you 
may get tired more quickly. Even experienced athletes have a 
harder time exercising in the heat. So if you're finding it tough 
to move outdoors this summer, you're not imagining things.

Inside your body, a few big changes take place during a hot-weather workout. Your core body temperature 
can rise quickly, especially when there's no wind or shade. Your heart rate increases, and 
your body works overtime just to keep things in balance. You lose fluids and salts through sweat, 
which can leave you feeling lightheaded or weak. And because blood is busy helping your skin 
cool off, there’s less of it available to fuel your muscles, which can lead to fatigue and shaky legs.

If you're not careful, this can lead to heat exhaustion or even heatstroke. These are serious health risks. People 
with health conditions or those who aren’t used to regular exercise are at even greater risk in high heat.

Fortunately, your body can learn to handle the heat better over time. This is called heat acclimation. 
It happens when you slowly introduce yourself to warmer conditions. For example, if you usually 
walk indoors or early in the morning, you might start by adding just five or ten minutes outside 
later in the day. As you do this over a week or two, your body becomes more efficient at cooling itself. 
You’ll sweat a little sooner, maintain a steadier temperature, and feel more comfortable.

The key is to go slow. Jumping into a long, hot workout when you’re not used to it is asking for trouble. Even 
if you're healthy and in shape, the sun can sneak up on you. It’s important to recognize the warning signs 
that your body is getting too hot. If you start to feel dizzy or faint, nauseous, or develop a headache, that’s 
a clear signal to stop. Other signs include muscle cramps, a racing heartbeat, weakness, confusion, or skin 
that feels hot but isn’t sweating much. If you feel any of these symptoms, it’s time to stop, rest in the shade, and 
drink water. Don’t wait it out—heatstroke can be life-threatening and needs medical attention right away.

To stay safe while exercising in the sun, make a few simple changes. First, pick the right time of 
day. Early morning and late evening are the coolest and safest times to be outside. Midday sun, especially 
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the most intense and should be avoided for strenuous workouts. 
Second, wear loose, light-colored clothing that allows sweat to evaporate and helps your 
body stay cooler. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout, especially if you're 
sweating a lot. On really hot days, you might also need a drink that replaces lost salt and minerals.

It’s also important to pace yourself. If you start to feel overheated or tired, take breaks. Find a 
shady spot or go indoors if needed. And always listen to your body. Some days are just too hot. 
There’s no shame in cutting your workout short, doing something indoors or taking a rest day.

Some people try to push through hot weather workouts but staying safe isn’t about being tough, it’s about being 
smart. The sun doesn’t care how strong or experienced you are. It can wear anyone down if you’re not prepared.

So instead of treating the heat as the enemy, think of it as a challenge you can manage with the 
right tools. When you understand how the sun affects your body and you make a few adjustments, 
you can keep moving, stay healthy, and enjoy being active comfortably all summer long.

Life has a way of 
delivering its curriculum 
whether 
we're ready or not. 
People disappoint 
us, hurt us, sometimes 
even betray 
us. It's never a matter 
of if; it's always 
when. The question isn't whether these difficult 
experiences will come, but how we'll 
choose to respond when they do.

The Hidden Cost of Holding On

When someone wrongs us, our natural response 
is to hold onto the hurt. We replay 
the incident, nurture our righteous anger, 
and create elaborate stories about what 
should have happened instead. But here's 
what I've learned through years of coaching 
leaders: those contractive thoughts and 
feelings aren't just uncomfortable, they're 
actively blocking us from the life we actually 
want.

Think about it this way. When you're giving 
your attention and energy to some hurt or 
betrayal, you cannot simultaneously direct 
that same energy toward what you would 
love. It's like trying to plant a garden while 
weeds grow underneath every good thing 
you're putting in the ground. Those feelings 
of shame, frustration, blame, and accusation 
become pervasive, spreading through 
every area of your life.

The Results Formula That Changes Everything

Here's a simple but powerful truth: Something 
happens, then we have a thought about 
what happened, then a feeling emerges from 
those thoughts. As a result of those thoughts 
and feelings, we react, we do something or 
fail to do something, which creates a result.

While we're not responsible for everything 
that happens to us, we are 100% responsible 
for how we respond. We cannot change 
what happened in our past, but we absolutely 
can change our perception of it. We 
can take complete responsibility not for the 
thing that happened, but for what we make 
it mean and what we choose to do with it 
moving forward.

The Gift of Perspective

What if I told you that even the disruptions, 
disagreements, and betrayals you encounter 
have something valuable to offer you? 
When we shift our perception from victimhood 
to curiosity, we can use these experiences 
to evolve and grow to the next level of 
our becoming.

This doesn't mean we minimize the hurt or 
pretend it didn't matter. It means we recognize 
that what's happening right now is 
the perfect curriculum for our evolution. 
There's always a lesson available, always an 
opportunity to build strength, wisdom, or 
compassion we didn't have before.

Building the Bridge

This is why forgiveness is so crucial, not for 
the other person, but for ourselves. Forgiveness 
is the bridge that allows us to move 
from where we are to where we want to be. 
It frees us from the prison of resentment and 
opens up space for what we actually love.

Let me be clear: forgiveness doesn't mean 
we have to be in community with someone 
who has hurt us. We don't have to trust 
them again or pretend everything is fine. 
But we can forgive them in our own hearts 
and minds to free ourselves.

The Practice of Letting Go

Forgiveness is a practice, not a one-time 
event. It starts with a simple but profound 
choice: Let it be. Release the attachment to 
what you think should have happened and 
accept what is.

When you catch yourself rehearsing old 
hurts, ask yourself: "What lesson is mine to 
receive here? How can this experience serve 
my growth?" Approach these situations with 
curiosity rather than condemnation.

Remember, feelings are like worms; you can 
try to bury them, but eventually they'll find 
a way to wiggle out. The only way through 
is to feel them, learn from them, and then 
consciously choose to release them.

Your Freedom Awaits

The truth is, you have way more power than 
you realize. You may not be able to change 
what happened, but you can change what 
you do with it. You can choose to let it make 
you bitter or better, contracted or expanded, 
a victim or a victor.

The bridge of forgiveness is waiting for you 
to cross it. On the other side lies the freedom 
to direct your energy toward creating 
the life you truly want. The question is: Are 
you ready to take that first step?

What situation in your life could benefit 
from this shift in perception? Sometimes 
the greatest gift we can give ourselves is the 
courage to forgive.

You might be thinking, “But Lori, how?” 
Reach out to me at my website: Loriaharris.
com, I’m always willing to help.

Lori A. Harris is an award-winning transformational 
coach, podcast host, and regular contributor to this 
paper.

 
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