Mountain View News Saturday, July 25, 2026 
99BEST FRIENDS & MORE Mountain View News Saturday, July 25, 2026 
99BEST FRIENDS & MORE 
HOW HEAT AFFECTS YOUR 
WORKOUT 

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. 

Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness The hotter it gets, the more your body struggles to stay cool. 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fit


ness classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit. Your heart works harder, your breathing gets faster, and you 
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness may get tired more quickly. Even experienced athletes have a 

Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness. 

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 coolingitself. 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 beingsmart. 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. 

LITTLE MISS BAILEY! 

Looking for more fun in 
your life? Miss Bailey is 
your answer! She’s a2-mo. old kitten, full 
of love, curiosity, and 
charm! She'sincredibly affectionate 
and absolutely loves beingpetted. At bedtime, shewill happily curls up near 

your head and purr herself to 
sleep. 

Sadly, this little girl was leftwithout a permanent home after 
being passed from one person to another. She deserves so much better 
than being an afterthought. She deserves a family that will cherish her 
for the rest of her life. 

If you're looking for a loving, fearless, and affectionate kitten to brighten 
your days, she may be the perfect match. All she needs now is someone 
to say, "You're home.” Apply to meet her at https://www.lifelineforpets.
org/bailey.html, or use the QR code. 


ART CLASSES 
GALLERY & EXHIBTIONS 
HANDMADE ART & GIFTS 

ARTFUL EVENTS 

CAG offers a wide variety of classes indrawing, painting, ceramics, and jewelrymaking. Visit our website for moreinformation on classes, seasonal workshops,
events, and volunteer opportunities.
Currently on display in our gallery: 
The Pasadena Society of Artists, Artist’sChoice Exhibition, through July 30. 
108 N Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre 
Gallery Open Monday-Friday 10am-5, Saturday 10-2
CREATIVEARTSGROUP.ORG 


UNLOCK YOUR LIFE 

THE GIFT OF PRESENCE 

Bring and be yourself. 

Can you even remember the time before and after the cell phone? Not 
even the smartphone — just a regular cellular device. 

Very few people had the first versions. They were a signal of power and 
significance. They were large and cumbersome devices. 

A medium power move was wearing a pager. A pager meant you wereLori A. Harris important enough that others needed to reach you without delay. At the 
top of the list were doctors and drug dealers. Everyone else had equal 

status: working mothers, other caretakers, and hustlers. 

The technology continued evolving, and phones became more accessible to the masses. We went 
from wired antennas and flip phones with expensive billing plans that varied by time of use, to the 
quantity of consumption. With every upgrade came a subtle status symbol. 

For many years, we guarded our cell phone numbers with caution lest some unworthy, mere stranger 
might waste our minutes. 

All this happened while I was happily trying cases like a maniac. Then I was reassigned. I was sent 
to work inside a youth prison, where phones were not allowed. When I returned to the courtroom 
seven years later, there was a major shift. Everyone was tied to their smartphone. It seemed to be an 
extension of everyone's hand. 

Researchers at the University of Texas found this wasn't just a figure of speech. In experiments, 
people's cognitive capacity measurably dropped when their smartphone was merely nearby — even 
turned off, even face-down, and the effect grew worse the more visible the phone was. It didn't 
matter if you were using it. Its presence alone was enough to occupy a piece of your mind that used 
to belong to whoever was in front of you. 

The cost of using the phone was drastically reduced, and everyone had one. Worse, everyone was 
on their phone, all the time. Prospective jurors sat in hallways glued to their devices, rather than 
chatting up their fellow citizens. Bailiffs chained the in-custody defendants tightly while they 
scrolled social media and played computer games. 

What I was witnessing in that courtroom, it turns out, has a name in psychology: "technoference", 
the way devices interrupt human connection simply by being present. Researchers at the University 
of Essex found that when two strangers had a conversation with a phone visible on the table between 
them, untouched, not even glanced at, they felt less close to each other and rated the conversation 
as lower quality than pairs with no phone in sight. The device didn't have to do anything. It just had 
to be there. 

It's a new world. Now the pendulum has swung back, and we're reconsidering the true cost of these 
devices. 

The Cost We Don't See 
Thoreau wrote that the cost of a thing is the amount of life we exchange for it. We rarely count that 
cost in scrolling terms, but researchers have. Studies tracking screen time and health outcomes have 
found that people who spend four or more hours a day in front of a screen carry a meaningfullyhigher risk of cardiovascular events than those who spend under two, and the risk holds up even 
after accounting for exercise. Public health researchers have started speaking about prolonged 
sitting the way an earlier generation spoke about cigarettes: a subtle, cumulative toll that adds uplong before we feel it. 

The reverse is also true, and it's the hopeful part of the data: people with higher fitness levels see 
that risk shrink dramatically, even at similar screen time. The antidote isn't guilt. It's movement. 
It's standing up, walking outside, meeting a friend in person instead of texting them from the next 
room. 

We do ourselves good, real, measurable good, by becoming more available to our family and 
friends, and by attending to our bodies instead of sitting glued to a screen. Presence and movement 
aren't separate disciplines. They are the same gift, given twice. 

The Greatest Gift We Have 
The greatest gift we have is our presence and our time. Attention, science now confirms, is finite, a 
resource that gets quietly withdrawn the moment a phone enters the room. Which is exactly why 
presence is a gift: it's the one thing we can still choose to give completely. 

This week, give someone the gift of your undivided presence. Put the phone in another room, not 
silenced, not face-down, but out of sight, for one meal, one walk, one conversation. Notice what you 
feel. Notice what they feel. Then do it again tomorrow. 

Lori A. Harris is a lawyer, Integrative Change Coach, and Life Mastery Consultant. Lori explores the 
depths of transformation. Her weekly column, Unlock Your Life, is published in Mountain Views News. 
If these words have resonated with you, begin your own journey with Lori at loriaharris.com. 

Pet of the Week

 Some dogs are all about adventure. Rita is all about you!

This 7-year-old pittie doesn't need much to have the perfect day—a

slow stroll, a comfy spot to flop down, and someone willing to keep

the pets coming. She has a wonderfully mellow way about her and

seems to believe that if she's close enough to lean on you, life is pretty

great. Sweet, easygoing, and full of quiet affection, Rita is the kind of

dog who turns an ordinary afternoon into quality time.

 If Rita sounds like the perfect companion for you, meet her today atPasadena Humane!

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or

neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.
Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.New adopters will receive a complimentary

health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information

about how to care for your pet.Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential

adopters by phone calls or email.