5 Ways You Can Beat the Summer Heat

There are a little over 66 days until the official start of fall. So if you live in the western United States, you still have a whole lot of summer heat to survive until we break out our sweaters and start buying pumpkin spice flavored everything. Rest assured though, there are lots of ways to survive the extreme heat that don’t involve locking yourself in the freezer section at Costco. Here are 5 simple ways you and your family can get through this summer and maybe have a little fun too!

1. Block the Sun! Letting sunlight in to your home is the same thing as letting heat in. Putting up shades or sun blocking curtains over your windows can drastically reduce the amount of heat coming into your home. The same goes for your car- using a sun shade can help block the heat and make it easier to cool your car down. Adding awnings to the exterior of your house is another excellent option for keeping the heat out- just make sure you check your CC&R’s before you install them.

2. Keep Your Body Temp Low! One of the easiest ways to keep yourself cool is to be mindful of your internal body temperature. Here are a few tips to keep yourself feeling frosty:

Personal mister system. Fill a squirt bottle with water and put it in the fridge. When you go out to do your errands give yourself a few squirts. As the cool water evaporates it will act as a personal air conditioning unit. For an extra dose of refreshment, add cucumber or mint to the water.

Lose your socks. As our feet heat up so does the blood that is circulating throughout your body. Switching to an airy shoe or flip flop will help keep your feet nice and cool.

Use fans. Fans help to cool the sweat our bodies produce which, in turn, helps to cool us down. But remember, fans only cool people, not rooms. So make sure you turn them off when you leave so you don’t waste energy.

Spice up your food. Contrary to popular belief, eating spicy or hot foods actually helps reduce your internal body temp. Spicy and hot foods help us to sweat more and sweat cools us off.

 

3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! It’s no secret that during the harsh summer months, you need to beef up your water consumption. But what about eating your water? Fruits and veggies are high in water content and when you choose a cucumber as a snack, you’re helping to replace some of the moisture your body loses when it sweats.

water

 

4. Use the power of positive thinking. Walter A. Brown, a clinical psychiatrist specializing in the placebo effect says, “Reading about cold can take your mind off the thermometer, evoking one’s own experience of ice & snow.” So use your imagination and picture yourself skiing in the Alps or taking an Alaskan Cruise- it will be fall before you know it!

5. Get the hose out. It would certainly be easier to just stay inside for three months while we wait for fall to arrive but it’s not likely that any of us can make that happen, especially when you have kids. Being creative with your use of water could hold the key to letting your kids play outside, even when it’s over 100 degrees. Give one of these backyard water hacks a try:

An oldie, but a goodie! Get a good, old fashion slip ‘n’ slide; if you don’t have an official slip ‘n’ slide, try using an old tarp. With a little dish soap, you can turn it into a very slippery afternoon of fun.

Batter up! Water balloon batting practice- that’s right, fill up a bunch of water balloons and grab a plastic, kids bat and let the kids swing away.

It’s retro. Hook up an oscillating sprinkler- when you need to entertain your kids and keep them cool, a simple oscillating sprinkler attached to the hose just might do the trick.

 

Little girl playing with garden hose