3. Heat Exhaustion
The combination of heat, heavy perspiration, and inadequate hydration takes away your body's ability to properly cool itself, and your internal temperature starts to rise.
The symptoms resemble the onset of shock: You feel weak, dizzy, nauseated, or worried. You could have a headache and/or a fast heartbeat.
Get out of the heat, fast: This is the obvious answer, but people often ignore it. You need shade or air-conditioning. Once you feel better, know that returning to the sun (even hours later) could spur a relapse.
Drink cool fluids: Drinking cold water and sports drinks not only works well for fast hydration, but also will help lower your internal temperature. (Try one of these sassy water recipes to help keep you hydrated.)
Get wet: Cold water on the skin is a big help. Cold water on the skin in front of a fan is even better. Spray it on, drizzle it over your head and neck, or wipe yourself down with cold, wet towels.
Check your weight: If you train in hot weather, weigh yourself before and after a workout to see how much water weight you've lost. Then replenish. The next day, weigh yourself again before the workout—and every day thereafter. If your weight doesn't return to your original number or drops further, you may be slowly dehydrating yourself. Again, clear or pale straw—colored urine is your goal.
Keep your shirt on: You pick up more radiant heat exposure with your shirt off. Once you perspire, a shirt can act as a cooling device when the wind blows on the wet material.
Avoid alcohol: A good summer workout, or even a long round of golf in the sun, may make you feel that it's time for a beer afterward. Watch it. Alcohol dehydrates you and can make even mild heat exhaustion worse. Hydrate first, celebrate later.
Wait a week: If you do get heat exhaustion, try to stay out of extreme heat for the next week. You're especially vulnerable to a relapse during that time.
Wait a week (Part 2): If you train in normal temperatures and know you have a big athletic event coming up in hot weather, give your body time to acclimate to it. Train in that weather for at least a week beforehand.
More From Prevention: 4 Foam Roller Exercises To Relieve Pain In 10 Minutes
4. Swimmer's Ear
Swimmer's ear begins as an itchy ear. Left untreated, it can turn into a full-blown infection, which is excruciating.
Go OTC: Most drugstores carry eardrops that help dry up swimmer's ear. If ear itchiness is your only symptom, this might be enough to ward off an infection. Use drops each time your ear gets wet.
Leave your earwax alone: Earwax serves several purposes, including harboring friendly bacteria. Wax also coats the ear canal and protects it from moisture. Rubbing a cotton swab in your ear is a surefire recipe for swimmer's ear.
Try drops: Tilt your head to the side, pull your ear up and back to open up the canal, and use an eye-dropper to apply drops of one of the following: rubbing alcohol; a solution of equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar; or, for preventive protection before swimming, mineral oil, baby oil, or lanolin. Once you put the drops in, turn your head to the other side and let them drain out naturally.
Plug 'em: Wax or silicone earplugs found at any drugstore can keep the water out whenever you swim or shower.
