Feeling lazy? Have the “summertime blues?” Notice that office productivity has (predictably) also slumped this summer? Well friends, you’re not alone! And sometimes the most obvious answer – and often heard excuse – is the correct one. It’s the heat! And that goes double here in Florida lately.
In her recent article in Quartz, There’s a scientific excuse for why summer makes you so lazy, writer Katherine Ellen Foley explains that from a purely scientific standpoint, hot weather really does make us lazy:
“Hot weather actually slows your body down. The hotter it is, the more energy you need to expend to keep yourself cool, which can mean activities you’re used to doing easily–whether it’s walking around outside or exercising at a certain intensity–take more effort.”
The good news? After a couple of days in the hot weather, our bodies get used to the heat. We start producing more plasma, the liquid component of blood. More liquid means more volume, which means more oxygen to the muscles to get whatever job we’re doing done. It also helps regulate our body temperature. Foley reports that after two weeks in the heat, your body should be fully adjusted. Come fall and the cooler weather, our wonderful bodies readjust automatically.
You can read the article for a deeper dive into the science behind it and how athletes use “heat exercise” or acclimatization to more quickly adapt. Like anything, know your limits (so you don’t get heat stroke) but otherwise, consider working through the heat, rather than avoiding it. You may just get that old energy back!
See you on the summer trail,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 7-10-23
