Let’s face it: we don’t all love summer as much as we’re supposed to.
Having bonding time with the kids when they’re off school is great, but it can sometimes be exhausting. Eating outside and having BBQs is fun, but what about the bugs (and potential food poisoning)? And although the heat can be great when you’re on vacation and lounging by the pool, it can get tricky when you’re just doing your best to get through everyday life.
Here are some tips to help you keep cool this summer…
Change Your Fitness Routine
A lot of exercise routines involve getting very sweaty. A lot of the time, this feels great – and if you like to go to the gym regularly, you can definitely keep going during the summer months. Soak up that air conditioning and pound away at that rowing machine so that you feel pumped with energy through the whole of the summer.
Likewise, yoga classes are still great during the summer – and we’ve all heard that hot yoga does the body good! But if your ways of keeping in shape don’t require staying inside, you might want to change them up a little.
If you like running and you live in a warm area, you might want to change the time of day that you go – early in the morning works better than during the evening, because there’s less lingering heat. Make sure that you don’t go during the middle of the day, because it’s very easy to get dehydrated and sunstroke when the sun is high in the sky and it’s really warm.
Why not try out swimming? Not only is it great for working out your entire body – it’ll give your knees a break from running! – but there’s absolutely nothing like slipping into that cool blue pool when it’s hot outside.
Fix Your Windows
If your home is unbearably warm, it’s time to do something about that other than sitting in front of a fan and feeling sticky. It’s probably habit to open your curtains and blinds first thing in the morning, but if you keep them shut then the sunlight won’t get in to make it even warmer during the day. It’s a good idea to get double glazing installed – look online for funding for home improvements so you don’t have to worry about the cost of it.
The glory of double glazing is not only that it keeps the heat in during the winter, but it keeps the cool air in during the summer, enabling you to live in comfort all year round.
Ways To Fall Asleep At Night
When it’s hot out, it can seem incredibly hard to fall asleep at night. There are some obvious tips that help – putting a fan next to your bed can definitely provide a great deal of relief. It’s also a good idea to invest in some sheets that contain tencel, which is a sustainable moisture wicking fabric that will keep you cool and that feels silky-smooth against your skin.
You may instinctively think that the fewer clothes you wear in bed, the cooler you’ll be – and of course you shouldn’t wear your winter PJs when it’s hot out! But it’s actually better to wear thin, light weight fabrics made from natural fibres than to sleep with too much of your skin on display. The fabric will soak up your sweat and keep it off your skin, helping you sleep much more comfortably.
Finally, why not take a cool shower before bed? If you don’t have time to do this, put cool wet clothes on your wrists and ankles to cool yourself down: covering your pulse points with a cooler temperature will help your whole body feel the benefit.
Find Indoor Activities
It can be tempting to spend the entire day outside when it’s warm, and honestly it isn’t a bad idea to hang out in the sun – get that vitamin D! But it’s an even better idea to stay inside during the warmest part of the day.
There’s a reason that Spanish people take siestas at a certain time of day. If you don’t feel like taking a nap, and you have kids to take care of, it’s a great idea to plan some activities for the warmest part of the day when you’re going to be hanging out inside. Keep some favourite toys back for a few weeks and produce them again so they feel new and exciting, cultivate a box of art supplies and an ongoing project to get on with – why not make paper dolls and costumes for them, or even your own little pop-up town out of folded paper? Getting creative is the best way to distract you from how warm it is outside.
And if you can’t stay inside, make sure you slather yourself and your family with sunscreen with high UVA and UVB ratings.
Stay Hydrated
Finally, staying hydrated during the summer is the key to whatever success you have during the warmest months.
It can be hard to remember to drink water, so you might have to remind yourself to do so until you manage to form a habit. If you work at an office, keep a water filter jug next to you and make sure that you finish it every day.
If you don’t like the taste of water or you live in an area where the tap water doesn’t taste great, why not try flavouring it? You could go with elderflower cordial – delicious! – or you could put fruit into your water to add a little zesty tang.
Citrus fruits like lime and lemon or orange taste incredible, as do strawberries and raspberries for a summer berry vibe.
You should also remember to keep your skin hydrated – it’s easy to forget that during the summer when you’re typically more oily than you are during the winter. Get a water-based moisturiser and make sure you put it on before your sunscreen in the morning.
Keeping on top of summer and staying cool is a little easier than you might have expected – just follow these tips and you’ll be fine all summer long.
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