THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 1996 TAG: 9608070027
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, Staff writer
LENGTH: 175 lines
WE'VE ALL seen them.
Those bronze, toned bodies jogging along the Oceanfront at noon on a 90-degree day.
In their little shorts and top-dollar shoes, they are the Adonises and Aphrodites of the street - focused, efficient, perspiring just enough to glisten attractively.
We pass by in our comfy cars, windows rolled up tightly - and the only thing we're pumping is the A/C.
Guilt-ridden, we vow to get in shape, then handily remember: It's August. Too hot to move a muscle, let alone build one.
Shall we soothe ourselves with a double scoop of ice cream?
Not so fast.
Hot, humid weather is time to exercise caution, but it's no reason for healthy people to give up on exercise, said Susan Kalish, executive director of the American Running and Fitness Association in Bethesda, Md.
We can adapt - and eventually acclimate - by slowing down, going less distance or choosing a cooler part of the day, Kalish said.
Or we can move it all indoors.
At the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the cool comfort of the world's only full-size, transportable ice rink, at 30th Street and Atlantic Avenue, lures sun worshipers from the beach, said owner Allen B. Harvie.
Inside his Starship Ice, temperatures hover around 50 or 60 degrees. Visitors in T-shirts, shorts and even bikinis often stroll in from the Boardwalk, strap on the rigid blue rental skates and venture onto the ice - often for the first time.
Those brave enough to let go of the wall surrounding the 150-by-70-foot frozen pool may be surprised to learn they're working out - and burning as many as 350 to 420 calories an hour.
Calorie-counting isn't usually what brings people in. Ashley Manning wasn't thinking about the calories one recent Sunday afternoon. She just wanted to skate to celebrate her 13th birthday.
The Williamsburg teen already had explored the souvenir shops, tumbled in the waves and soaked up a tan at the Oceanfront. But she'd never gone ice-skating.
As her parents, Elsie and Bill Manning, and sister, Valerie Cobb, watched from the sidelines, a bare-handed, bare-legged, Ashley, and her 11-year-old sister, Erin, gleefully looped the rink.
Valerie's husband, Steve, and their son, Taylor, 4, skated too - though a bit more apprehensively.
``Don't walk, just glide,'' Valerie advised Taylor from across the ice.
``Side to side, side to side,'' said Steve, holding Taylor's hands in his.
They skated for more than an hour, as more folks drifted in from the Oceanfront: a neighborhood teenager looking for something to do, a family from the Bahamas, a brother and sister from New Bern, N.C., whose parents opted to wait in the sun.
Richmonders Dr. Ahmed Hegab and his wife, Leina Wahba, were exploring the resort strip with relatives from Egypt when they saw the enormous bubble encircling the indoor rink.
Wahba's brother, Mohamed, wanted to try ice-skating. ``And it's really hot out there,'' he said, cautiously negotiating the ice in white T-shirt and rust-colored shorts.
``We kind of liked the idea of skating on the beach,'' Hegab said.
Starship Ice attracts tourists as well as locals, Harvie said. The sport itself has become increasingly popular since the last winter Olympics, he said.
Banking on that popularity, Harvie opened another rink, Ice Palace, in Yorktown last week. He's scheduled to open a third in Chesapeake in November.
The Oceanfront will draw more than a quarter-million people this year, Harvie projected, and the Yorktown rink, a half-million in its first year.
Summer is the off-season for indoor ice-skating, said Mary Hutchinson, manager at Iceland, a Virginia Beach rink owned by the Hampton Roads Youth Hockey Association.
So it's a good time to learn or practice skating, away from the heat and crowds outdoors, she said.
``This is a beach town, so people think of the water,'' she said. ``We're a different kind of water.''
At Iceland, the air temperature is 45 to 50 degrees in summer.
Visitors sometimes run home for additional clothing. ``They're not expecting it to be so cool,'' Hutchinson said.
She recommends long pants, gloves and a sweatshirt over a T-shirt.
Those who don't want to bundle up might head for one of several Hampton Roads roller rinks, instead.
``Attendance is down in August,'' when most people prefer to be outdoors, said Mark Patrylak, assistant manager at Haygood Roller Staking Center in Virginia Beach. The rink's prime season is December through March.
Roller skating burns as many calories as does ice skating, but the temperature is about 70 degrees, Patrylak said.
Other indoor options: bowling, billiards or joining a gym for a day.
The YMCA, Virginia Beach recreation centers and other fitness clubs offer visitors' passes for about $5 to $10. Activities include free weights, exercise machines, table tennis, racquetball and swimming.
Sampling various gyms sometimes can spark an interest in an untried activity, health professionals say.
The surgeon general's recent Report on Physical Activity and Health said American's are too sedentary, and at risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other illnesses associated with overweight.
Any activity is better than none, the report said, and not only helps us maintain a desirable weight, but moderates our moods.
The study, along with televised coverage of the Olympics, created a surge of interest in exercise, said the running association's Kalish.
Beginners, especially those over 50, should check with a doctor before exercising strenuously, Kalish said. Then, set moderate goals.
If you exercise outdoors, choose cooler times of day, such as morning or evening. Consider temperature, humidity and sun, said David P. Swain, director of the Wellness Institute and Research Center at Norfolk's Old Dominion University.
``If it's 90 degrees, humid and sunny, that's quote a heat load,'' Swain said.
Most healthy people will acclimate to hot weather in about two weeks, Kalish said. Build a routine gradually.
``Pay attention to what your fatigue level is,'' Kalish said. Know how you feel exercising under normal conditions, then aim for that feeling - not the same distance or intensity - in hot weather.
A person who normally runs 5 or 6 miles, for example, might complete 2 or 3 miles at a slower pace.
Whether you're walking, running, cycling or in-line skating, wear light-colored, loose clothing.
``Don't wipe away sweat, if you can help it,'' Kalish said. ``Let it evaporate.'' That's how the body cools itself.
``If you're getting more tired than usual, or you feel your heart pounding, take a break,'' said Kalish, who runs near her office around noon ``to get a suntan.''
``It's the worse time to exercise,'' she admits. ``Sometimes if it's really bad, I just stop and I walk back.''
Even some Olympians in Atlanta showed early signs of heat illness, including cramping, nausea and headache, Kalish said.
Because severe heat illness can can lead to unconciousness or even death, it's important to keep the body hydrated with noncaffeinated, nonalcoholic beverages throughout the day.
``Eight 8-ounce glasses of water is for those of us who are couch potatoes or at our desks,'' said Kristin Reimers, associate director for the International Center for Sports Nutrition in Omaha, Neb.
Active people need additional fluids.
Step on a scale before and after a workout, Reimers said. For every pound lost, drink 2 cups fluid, preferably water. Or, count two caffeinated beverages as one water.
Take water with you if you plan to exercise for more than an hour. Take a sip every 15 minutes or so, not just when you're thirsty.
Severe thirst ``is the earliest sign that you're not OK,'' said ODU's Swain.
Confusion or profuse sweating indicate a need to rest, drink water and, if possible, apply cold cloths to the neck, armpits or wrists, Swain said.
If symptoms don't wane within 10 minutes, or if sweating stops, get medical help.
Kalish recommended exercising with a friend, who can guide you to a fountain, sprinkler or shady spot.
``Sometimes,'' she said, ``I even plan my exercise around places to get a drink.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Jim Walker/The Virginian-Pilot
Steve Cobb and his son Taylor, 4, try out the rink at Starship Ice
in Virginia Beach.<
Down at the Oceanfront, Erin and Ashley Manning take to the ice for
the first time.
[Side Bar]
When It's Hot Out?
[Some indoor activities and the calories burned]
For compete copy, see microfilm
KEYWORDS: EXERCISE ICE SKATING RINK by CNB