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“Slowing down in the heat could be a subconscious regulation to protect us from damage, such as heat stroke,”

In other words, you don’t slow down because your body has reached some critical temperature. Instead, your brain slows you down to prevent you from ever reaching that critical temperature. It’s a subtle difference – but as the cyclists in the study discovered, it means that our physical “limits” are more negotiable than previously thought.

“To obtain a substantial heat adaptation, core temperature must be elevated and high sweat rates need to occur,” Dr. Jay explains. “The best way to do this is to combine exercise with heat exposure.”The study volunteers had averaged just 18 minutes a day of “moderate” or “intense” physical activity outdoors. In contrast, researchers have found that proper acclimatization takes 45 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise in the heat, either for seven to 10 consecutive days, or four to five times a week for two to three weeks.