Stay Cool This Summer
Run cool water over the inside of your wrists.
Drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day – more if you’re very active.
Don’t exercise in the heat of the day – do it before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
Set a bowl of ice water in front of a moving fan.
Wear loose, light-colored natural-fiber clothing.
Soak your feet in a plastic basin of cool (not cold) water.
Wear your hair up or short – most heat escapes from the top of your head.
Make your own portable evaporative cooler: wet down a white cotton towel and drape it around your neck.
Open windows only in the room you’re in and the one opposite. Position a fan to blow from one window to the other to create a cross-draft.
Shower or bathe regularly to keep your pores unclogged and efficiently sweating.
Instead of incandescent light bulbs, which give off a lot of heat, use compact florescents.
Keep blinds down on the side of the house the sun is shining on. Cover the windows with aluminum foil.
Eat a Popsicle.
Hang roll-up bamboo blinds outside the east and south windows.
Wear a wide-brimmed, breathable hat when in the sun.
Avoid dehydrating beverages like alcohol and caffeine.
Eat lightly. Stay away from heavy, fatty foods and excessive protein which aids heat production
Do eat salty foods to replace sodium lost from sweating.
Use your backyard grill to stay out of a hot kitchen while cooking.
Keep a spray bottle of water handy and mist yourself while sitting in front of a fan.
Go shopping, to the library, movies or a restaurant and take advantage of someone else’s air conditioning.
Unplug computers, TVs and VCRs when not in use. Even turned off, these appliances generate a lot of heat.
Sore-muscle rubs like Ben-Gay, which, when rubbed on pulse points, make you feel cool.
Take a cool bath or shower – but not cold.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Watch medications – some decrease perspiration and contribute to overheating.
Lie down with a refrigerated face mask for a few minutes to refresh your whole body.
Avoid the upper floors of your house – remember, heat rises.