It feels to me like summer has arrived early this year, with its high temperatures and humidity levels.

And it's only going to get hotter! So when planning your summer workout programme, there are some important things that we must all take into consideration.

During physical activity, so much heat is produced that the human body would experience a 2% Fahrenheit rise in temperature for every five minutes of vigorous activity if it were not possible to dissipate this heat to the surrounding environment.

The body has several ways of dissipating heat, but the most significant way during warm weather exercise is through sweating. Evaporation of sweat from the skin results in heat loss by the body.

Profuse sweating during exercise is essential for body temperature regulation, provided the sweat can evaporate easily.

During conditions of high humidity, which we experience most of the time here in Bermuda, the air is already saturated with water vapour.

This minimises the ability of sweat to evaporate, and the body temperature rises quickly.

There are several heat-related disorders that are quite serious and can be brought on by not training in a safe and sensible manner, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat strokes.

In order to avoid such problems, incorporate the following tips into your summer workouts: Realise that your body takes time to acclimatise itself to changes in temperature.

Allow your body 30 days to fully adapt to increased temperature by adjusting your workout and gradually building it up.

For the first two weeks of hot weather, keep your outdoor exercise sessions to an easy 30 minutes at most and then slowly increase your time and intensity level.

Water, water, water!!! Drink it, pour it over yourself, dive into it! It is essential to drink lots of water when exercising in hot and humid conditions.

By keeping a lot of fluid in your body, your body's cooling mechanism will work more effectively.

Your body also loses a lot of water due to perspiration, and this can easily lead to dehydration. Drink at least 8 ounces of fluid each hour, and more when exercising outdoors or if you tend to perspire a lot.

If you are exercising vigorously outdoors in the heat, you should weigh in before and immediately after the activity, and for every pound lost, 16 ounces of fluid must be replaced.

Drinking lots of water will make you feel better and perform better, and will improve your body's cooling mechanism.

Exercise in the morning. First thing in the morning is the coolest, and in my opinion prettiest, part of the day.

Not only will you be able to avoid the high temperatures of the afternoon, but exercising in the morning will also help boost your mood for the rest of the day! Another advantage...you don't have any time to come up with excuses or get busy with other things if you enjoy your exercise session right after you roll out of bed in the morning! Dress sensibly. Your clothing should be light in colour to reflect the sun's rays, loose-fitting to take advantage of any breeze and absorbent to whisk moisture away from the skin.

Keep your head cool. A large portion of your body heat is lost through your head, so wearing a hat will cut down the amount of heat that your body can dissipate.

It is important to protect ourselves from the sun, however, so wear a loose fitting hat made of a light breathable material.

Limit caffeine and alcohol intake.

They are both diuretics, which increase the body's output of urine.

Hot weather already has a dehydrating effect, and a high consumption of caffeine or alcohol will cause your body to become even more dehydrated.

Start your workouts more slowly in the summer than you normally would, realise that your performance may not be as good as it is in cooler weather and practise the tips listed above and you will be able to continue enjoying your workouts safely throughout the summer.

Exercise on the beach and end your workout with a cooling and refreshing dive into the ocean.

Take your family through the beautiful trails of Spittal Pond, Hog Bay Park, Tom Moore's Jungle or one of Bermuda's many other unique treasure. Just get out there, enjoy the gorgeous scenery and take advantage of the joys of summer safely!