Extreme heat and its physical effects on the body happen quickly

ABC17’s Sara Maslar-Donar worked with the Columbia Fire Department today to find out what happens to your body when you’re active in this kind of extreme heat, even if it’s just for a few minutes. She walked for 10 minutes and used a stair climber for five.

After walking, her heart rate jumped 50 percent. After just five minutes on the stair climber and doing a little more work, her heart rate jumped more than 100 percent. Firefighters say this kind of jump over time while out in the heat can be dangerous and leads to heat related illness, especially if you don’t drink water.

ABC17’s Aaron Morrison also talks about the science behind that jump as well why it feels like we sweat more in the summer (and why it’s important to replenish the fluids that we lose).