Man exercising and drinking water By Fitness Instructor Louise Tippleston. Summer has finally rolled round, which is great news! Summer brings longer days, warmer temperatures and more opportunities to get outdoors. But on those particularly sticky-weather days, it can certainly become harder to get ourselves motivated to exercise. Here are a few of my tips for keeping on track with your fitness routine on those hot summer days… 1. Grab an early exercise Take advantage of the lighter mornings when the temperature is cooler and exercise first thing. Working out in the morning is a great way to kick start your day. Although the thought of getting up early to exercise - whether that be going for a run, working out on your cross trainer or weights training – may sound tough, you might be surprised at how energised you feel after. As you know, exercise releases endorphins – the “happy hormone” - into your bloodstream, so it’s also great for helping boost your mood. Try it! 2. Work out at home If you usually exercise outdoors, consider taking your workout indoors and making use of your home fitness equipment. Lots of cardio machines come with built in fans to keep you cool and many also come with interactive training, such as Nordic Track and Proform's iFit Live for treadmills, elliptical trainers and exercise bikes. It lets you download workouts and design your own routes with Google Maps. Vision and Horizon Fitness also offer interactive training with their innovative Virtual Active and Passport Media Player which takes you on a journey through real life world routes. The beauty of this is that you can still get that feeling of the great outdoors – but without the sweltering heat! 3. Make water your best friend To avoid excessive fluid and electrolyte losses, a person should begin exercising in a well-hydrated state. Don’t forget to keep drinking water! It’s crucial that you stay hydrated in the heat, and should aim to drink six to eight ounces of water or sports drink every 15-20 minutes during exercise. But you also need to keep drinking throughout the day too. Staying hydrated is crucial for maximising your performance and keeping you motivated to reach your fitness goals. 4. Cross train and break up your sessions Change up your routine by incorporating cycling, swimming or jogging to your daily training, which not only mixes up your routine but also allows for greater training volume with less fatigue. If you can possibly break up your workout into a few shorter sessions in the day, that will help you cope better too. Nobody wants to get sunstroke from the hot weather! I also recommend investing in a heart rate monitor. This is like having your very own personal trainer on your wrist, pushing you on! 5. Dress for the weather Make sure you wear lighter, breathable clothes in the hot weather. By staying cool, you’ll be far more motivated to exercise and will achieve a higher level of performance. I hope these tips help you to stay on track during the heat. By keeping up with your exercise during the summer, it’ll mean less hard work later in the year as you won’t be playing catch up with your fitness. Do you have any tips for staying motivated in the summer? Let us know in the comments or get in touch on Twitter. [caption id="attachment_318" align="alignleft" width="150"]Fitness instructor Louise Louise Tippleston[/caption] Louise Tippleston is a qualified Fitness Instructor who teaches studio cycling and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes. Louise also works for Fitness Superstore as a Sales Advisor.