Don’t Panic – There’s a Red Warning for Extreme Heat in the UK this week
It’s all we’re hearing on the news right now, and if you’ve missed it I will be amazed! However, there’s no need to panic, I have collected my top five tips on staying cool and hydrated, so you can keep well.
Cool Down First
Start your day with a short cool shower, a tepid bath or even a cool strip wash. This really helps, especially if you’ve had a hot and restless night. Make sure that you are keeping the water at a temperature low enough to cool you down, and remember to get your head wet if you can. This helps your whole body to cool down. You can also run a bowl of tepid water and just soak your wrists for 5 minutes, or even one for your feet and ankles if you have any mobility issues.
Fruits and Vegetables
Eat plenty of fruits and veggies that contain water, like watermelon, cucumber, kiwis, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes – you get the idea. This is a super easy way to add easy fluids, especially for younger children, or to pack out your lunchbox.
Up Your Hourly Fluid Intake
This might be obvious, but you will need to drink plenty of fluids – at least one drink per hour throughout the day. Aviod alcohol and caffeine as they can make you more thirsty. Remember to bring a water bottle if you are out and about, and top it up whenever you can.
Add Fluids from Food
MORE fluids in your food. Choose to add things like soup, hummus, yoghurt and dips, smoothies made with water to easily add even more hydration into your diet. Whizz up frozen fruit mixes half and half with water and freeze into small ice lolly moulds for a tasty, thirst-quenching cooler.
Stay Shady!
Keep the sun out. Close curtains and blinds on the sunny side of any rooms, and remember to move around and open them when the sun has moved away. Open windows to allow any cross-breezes, but keep in the shade as much as possible. Avoid the sun between 10am and 5pm. If you have a garden with shade, remember it may sometimes be cooler OUTSIDE (especially under large, shady trees). Finally, sleeping may be more comfortable in ground floor rooms – be prepared to be flexible over sleeping times and places whilst it’s very warm overnight.
I hope these tips will help you to stay cool, hydrated and safe – please share them if they have.