Sun screen, summer food, and enjoy!

Recently we've been having a wave of heat. In the worst way. Turn on your A/C and never leave the house. Just kidding, that's really bad advice. But I do have some tips!

1. Block the sun: Here is my house we take large blankets or curtains and drape them over the windows in the house. Keeping the light and heat out by 45%.

2. Turn on the A/C: This tip seems pretty straight forward. Turn on your air conditioning on a low temperature, hit swing, and enjoy.

3. Cold treats: My favorite way to cool down most days is with a nice cool treat. Whether it be an iced latte or a big bowl of your absolute favorite ice cream. It will cool you down nice and quick! And don't be shy to go back for seconds.

4. Fans: The air conditioning may provide a large portion of your cooling however if I'm correct your A/C is isolated to one room or perhaps two. Keeping your ceiling fans or portable fans running will provide a general all around cool down!

5. Extra heat: Try not to create any extra heat inside the house. Extremely hot showers (if so, turn on a vent or air circulation), cooking with an oven. Always a great idea to use the BBQ, especially in the summer.

6. Dress appropriately: This is one of my worst problems, I never dress appropriately for the weather. I wake up pretty early in the morning for work. The temperature has not yet reached it's peek. It's normally pretty cold, almost too cold to even get dressed so I wear either a sweater or pant. Wear cool clothes, shorts, and a t-shirt, or a tank top and a shirt. It's important for your body not to over heat!

7. Drink lots: A common mistake for most people is they forget hydration. A lot of people believe that if they're in a shaded area or in the comforts of a seemingly cool house they don't need as much hydration. Wrong! Always hydrate, with water! Sometimes your favorite juice. Or in my case on a Friday after noon after a weeks work, an ice cold beer.

8. Shut the lights OFF: Going all with tip number one, make sure all light sources in your house are off or at least light grade bulbs. Light bulbs generate a lot of heat, in effect creating unnecessary heat source that are counter acting your efforts to stay cool.

9. Give your dryer a break: If you're anything like my house, your washer and dryer never stop going! So instead of dryer your clothes in a machine generating AGAIN excess heat, hang them outside on a close line. But make sure to shake them off nice and good before bringing them in.

My last tip is for those who enjoy this weather:

10. Sun screen, summer food, and enjoy: It is important no matter your age or skin tone to apply sun screen, there are one too many risks associated with the sun that are not worth taking. Go to your local drugstore and find the SPF right for you! Keep your food light, fruit, vegetables, chicken. (my inner health nut coming out) and most of enjoy the benefits of summer!

What are your tips for beating the heat? How is your summer going?

~ N