Hey guys,
Wow I can’t believe it’s almost summer. All I can think about is staying up all night and waking up late. Wait, I already do that. I already eat ice cream, so what is it that makes the summer so different? Well of course no more classes and lots of heat. If you are taking classes over the summer holiday or working an internship, like I am, good job.
When you add more free time and warmer weather what do you get? I hope you said exercising outside. While being outside might sound like lots of fun, it can be dangerous. You can get overheated, dehydrated, or even get a heatstroke. I once did an 8-mile run without water on a very hot day and it was dreadful. After a while I got so thirsty that it took me twice as long to finish as it should have. Drink lots of water during your run. I normally plan runs that pass by certain stores that have water fountains so I can get a drink and ALWAYS tuck a couple of dollars so I can get a water bottle or, better yet, an ice cream. Make sure you’re running when the sun is down, so either in the morning or the evening. The worst time to go for a run outside is around 2 or 3 because the earth has had a lot of time to absorb heat.
You know how sometimes on a super cold day you’ll throw your clothes into the dryer to get them nice and toasty before putting them on? Well there’s a summertime version to that. That does NOT mean throwing all your clothes into the washer to make them cool. If you wear a hat, you can drench it in water and it will keep your head cool for a while. You probably all know this but wear cotton and loose fitting clothing in light colors. If you have guts, go shirtless, but try to avoid public places if you do that.
Keeping your pulse points cool is an easy and effective way to stay cool. You can pour some water on them but if I’m running I’ll lick the ones I can reach. It’s rather awkward but it works so well that I no longer care. My favorite ones are the insides of your wrists and the inside of your elbows., mostly because these are the only lickable places. Others include your forehead, the inside of your knee, and the ankles.
Even though I couldn’t live without caffeine, I take a break from it during the summer. Caffeine and alcohol promote dehydration! Instead of an iced coffee, try a ZICO latte coconut water. Coconut water is a perfect combatant against dehydration. Also try to avoid big hot meals in favor of smaller meals or snacks that have cold fruit or low fat dairy products. Big meals force your metabolism to work harder causing you to feel tired and hot. Cool, smaller meals will make sure that you don’t get too hot. The Drop10 Diet has a lot of these kinds of snack choices.
Summary:
1. Run in the morning or evening
2. Drink LOTS of water
3. Cool your head with a cool hat
4. Wear cotton and loose fitting clothing in light colors (or go shirtless)
5. Keep your pulse points cool
6. Avoid caffeine and alcohol
7. Coconut water combats dehydration
8. Snack on cool things
Random fact: this blog was thought of because when I woke up from my nap, my room was super duper hot even though we keep the blinds closed. So terrible.
Keep cool,
Danielle <3