As temperatures in Salt Lake City reach into the triple digits, doctors advise avoiding exercising

Salt Lake City, Utah – Doctors were warning that signs of heat-related illnesses and heat stroke might appear in minutes amid the intense heat that broke previous records on Thursday.

“When it’s as hot as it is right now, these are the kind of temperatures that can affect anyone really quickly,” said Dr. Tom Nelson, emergency department medical director for Intermountain Medical Center.

Dehydration and general malaise are among the first signs, according to Nelson, that appear before more significant issues arise.

“That can progress into something called rhabdomyolysis, or muscle breakdown,” Nelson said. “Eventually, it can start to affect your organs, kidneys, liver, heart — everything can be affected by these incredibly high temperatures. And if you exert to the point of real danger, it’s called heat stroke, which can be a life-threatening condition.”

Nelson advises against working out during the hottest part of the day and, if it is necessary, to be as hydrated as possible and seek out shade wherever feasible.

According to Nelson, being healthy and well-hydrated does not shield a person from the heat’s effects.

“It’s really easy to assume when you’re young and healthy that the heat won’t negatively affect you but that’s absolutely not true,” Nelson said. “The heat affects everybody.”

On the east bench, hikers made an effort to attain their outdoor goals despite the temperatures in the triple digits.

After misjudging how taxing the hike would be, a man along the Mount Olympus Trail said he had summited the mountain on Thursday afternoon and was feeling under the weather.
Around nine in the morning, Mari Aguilar said she had tried hiking. But back then, it was too hot.

“We had to go and we literally just came back again because we’re like, ‘let’s give it another try, it’ll cool down,’” Aguilar said.

She claimed it felt excessively hot even after six o’clock.

“You can’t even put the window down, you know,” she said. “Because it’s like so hot. It’s hot air. Nobody likes hot air.”

A party that attempted to hike above Bell Canyon Reservoir after 6 p.m. was led by Austin Nguyen and Iris Tang, who likewise concluded that the conditions were just too difficult.

“We were hoping to dip in the waterfall, but it was too hot so we didn’t make it all the way up there,” Nguyen said.

Tang claimed that the gang had prior expertise and had brought food and hydro flasks.

“Yeah, it was so hot we just kind of got tired and just ate chicken,” she said.