It’s hot, hot, HOT!

If you are anywhere near the Midwest right now, you know just how hot it is, and there is no apparent end in sight.  So, in honor of this sweltering heat, we’ve sourced some of the best tips on how to stay cool.

• The Mayo Clinic staff produced this article on how to stay cool while exercising outside, “Heat and Exercising: Keeping Cool in Hot Weather.”  Hot weather adds extra stress to your body, which can be troublesome when exercising and already raising the temperature of your body.  In order to counter the heat, they suggest watching the temperature outside and exercising during the early morning or later evening hours.  Also, acclimate yourself to the heat before going into an all out sprint.  Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing can also help, plus drinking plenty of fluids.  Dehydration is the key factor in heat illness, and it’s best to drink lots and lots of water – yet avoid alcoholic beverages. 

• InStyle Magazine, in their “10 Ways to Stay Cool” feature proclaimed, “You don’t need us to tell you that a ponytail feels lighter than a heavy, down do. But we can tell you why. Keeping your neck cool helps regulate your body’s overall temperature. So slick up your hair like Joy Bryant.”  They also suggest sipping on a mint drink or nibbling on mint leaves, “The menthol in mint triggers the skin’s cold receptors, which is why the herb is cooling when applied topically, eaten—or sipped on the rocks with club soda and lime juice.”  InStyle provides some other interesting beauty tips for the heat; click the link above to check them out. 

• To keep your house as cool as possible, and keep your air-conditioning bills in check, follow some of these tips from the blog, Leave Debt Behind.  The blog suggests using fans, turning up your thermostat when you are not in the house, closing shades/blinds and changing the air filter in your A/C.  

• Then, of course, there is the tried and true method of a Pool Day!

>> How do you beat the heat, or at least deal with it?  Let the community know by replying to this story. 

See you at the pool!