i’m curious to hear from those of you who exercise on a regular basis whether or not you are able to tolerate the summer heat/humidity better because you exercise? i’ve recently joined the gym and have gotten really into it. summer in taipei is torture for me as i have a low tolerance for extreme temperatures, whether it be the cold or the heat. i’ve noticed since exercising i’m not as cold as i normally would be in this weather. i’m wondering if the heat this summer will be more bearable… sweat less etc…
Yes, I tolerate the Summer heat much better than when I first arrived. I climbed ChiShingShan many times-at 5.30am on weekends, and then would head down to the hotsprings for a soak at 7.30 or so. Less fat and more muscle helps, too.
I sweat less, don’t notice the extremes of temperature as much, and have more energy.
Lately I go for long bike rides on the back of Yamingshan-small country roads.
When I exercise hard, I try to go early at daybreak (to get the fresh morning air, avoid crowds of people, and avoid the heat)-or go late afternoon (which is cooler and not so bad for the skin-and the sunsets are nice).
I think that you don’t have to exercise in the hottest part of the day to get the benefit of the fitness helping heat tolerance. Actually, overheating yourself may be counterproductive and hurt your health and recovery.
Drink lots of water, and avoid the sun.
Good luck! 
Many years ago, I arrived in Taiwan from northern Canada. Our summer high temperature, in my city, was 23C. I couldn’t handle the Taiwan heat at all! I can still remember stepping off of the plane in June. It felt like an oven. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”. Your body will get used to the heat. It just takes time.
As for exercise, I think it helps. For me, the weight loss was the biggest factor. Losing 10+ kg definately helped. My body didn’t need to work as hard to carry itself around. Therefore, less sweat. I still can’t exercise outside in the summer so I bought a running machine for my home. It’s a good investment and my girlfriend loves it.
Exercise raises your metabolism, helps blood flow, provides more energy, improves circulation, etc. It’s a win/win situation. Keep up the good work! Oh yeah, if you MUST exercise outside in the summer, please remember to do it early in the morning. Heat stroke is not enjoyable and very dangerous.
i’m exercising in a gym. i’ve never been overweight but can’t tolerate any extreme temperature. i’m trying to get in shape and so far i can’t understand why i didn’t join the gym years ago. after just one week of going every night after work, i need less sleep, my mood is great, and i feel fantastic! i love it! i’ve never wanted to exercise outside in taipei… the air is too bad and in the summer too heavy cause of the humidity. i always found i felt worse afterwards and covered in grime.
I’m still very cold even though I exercise regularly… 
I do need less sleep though and seem to have more energy and be in a better mood lately…or maybe it’s just that I finally got rid of my annoying job… 
What do you do against cold feet? No matter how many socks or how big slippers I wear, I always have cold feet. Always… 
The heat isnt the killer,it is the humidity.
Your body stays wet,and sweat does not evaporate easily,therefore your body does not cool down.
So,wear loose cotton clothing,do not fill your stomach too much,to allow fluids to be absorbed in your stomach easier,and drink drink(not booze)
Us Whities are just not created for this type of weather.We generally are too large and have less surface area(proportionately) for our body weight,to sweat and stay cool.
So,like it or lump it.
[quote=“mesheel”]I’m still very cold even though I exercise regularly…
I do need less sleep though and seem to have more energy and be in a better mood lately…or maybe it’s just that I finally got rid of my annoying job…
What do you do against cold feet? No matter how many socks or how big slippers I wear, I always have cold feet. Always… [/quote]
Oh Mesheel, I understand your problem about the cold feet. My hands and feet are ALWAYS cold. Gotten lots of advice, but so far nothing has really helped. The absolute worst thing is the overuse of airconditioners here. That makes them cold in the winter and cold in the summer too.
Can’t help you out, but maybe you will find solace knowing that someone else has the same problem :s
buy those self heating pads they sell in convenience store and stick them in the toe of your socks or mittens
Exercise helps a lot in the winter here. When you just sit around in the damp, you feeld cold and miserable–like you will never be warm again.
I remember finding the heat of the summer here intolerable when I first arrived. You get used to it though, and I actually enjoy it now. But stay out of the heat between 11:00 and 3:30 or so. You’re risking sunstroke or just general overheating then.
I’ve lived in various places with high humidity and high temperatures at least for a couple months of the year. I can never get used to the heat. Personally, I think exercise teaches your body to be more efficient. In the summer, this means sweating more easily (the cooling mechanism of your body is made more efficient). I’m the biggest wimp when it comes to heat. I can sleep with the air conditioner on full blast right on me in the summer. So for me, “no,” I don’t think exercise makes the heat more bearable, but you do train yourself to be a better exerciser in the heat (compare runs at the beginning of the summer to those at the end, all other things being equal).
My jogging manual suggests that a good rough guide for when not to exercise is to add the humidity and temperature (fahrenheit) together. Any day between 140-160 is risky and any day over 160 should not be exercised in. Of course this would exclude 9 months of the year in Taiwan but it’s a good rough guide as I said. Do like EEzee said and exercise outdoors only in the wee hours of the morning or at night. In many places (like Mucha) there are afternoons showers everyday around 4pm which drops the temperature about 6-7% and the humidity to a comfortable level.
I’ve been jogging in the evenings (8-9pm) for years without too much trouble. On hotter days I jog with a litre of water and not only take sips regularly but also pour water directly on my head to keep cool.
I’m not sure about the logic in your conclusion; if it made your cooling mechanism more “efficient,” wouldn’t you expect to sweat less?
I share your observation, though. In the summer the readiness with which I break a sweat is directly related to the time elapsed since my day’s workout. So within 2-3 hours of any workout in the summer, I’m swimmin’. 
In my experience, I don’t think it makes your cooling mechanism any more efficient. Instead it seems to make it less tolerant. Another good reason to work out in the early morning or evening - and I found this to be profoundly true in Taiwan - is that doing so let’s you cool down adequately before you shower and leave the house in the morning or shower and go to bed at night.
Exercise will definitely help beat Taiwan’s winter cold, but I didn’t find that exercise made it any less likely I’d wish I had a good damn coat within arm’s reach after I’d finished. Exercise only works that way while you’re exercising, in my experience.
(I work out daily, religiously, if not zealously.)