what a scorcher

yesterday, it was 95 degrees at the beach and I decided it would be a lovely day to play a volleyball tournament. Brilliant. While it is a lot of fun, and we did much better than expected (me and my partner made it to the play-offs - woo!), the heavy heat was definitely a factor in our performance. I'm not sure if it's a matter of training your body to be able to react to heats like that or what. But a few tips for strenuous activity on hot days:

- be mindful of the temperature, the sun, and the humidity before you undertake heavy strenuous activity on a hot day.

- when you think you have had enough water, drink some more. I mean it. I drank at least 2 gallons of water yesterday but it was so hot and luckily it was dry, but the sweat just evaporated in seconds, so you don't feel like your sweating.

- notice the color of your pee. I'm not trying to be gross. If it's dark or if you haven't gone in a while, you're dehydrated. Drink more water.

- Drink Gatorade or something similar also on hot days where you're sweating a lot and not getting replenishment of salts.

- know the signs and symptoms of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These are very common ailments and very preventable.

- heat cramps: muscle spasms, usually in the arms, legs or stomach. Usually caused by not replenishing with potassium or other salts. Drink water and Gatorade or eat bananas. You can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

- heat exhaustion: your internal air conditioner breaks and I don't mean the one in your house. I mean the one in your body. Symptoms are heavy sweating, headache, intense thirst, dizziness, fatigue, loss of coordination, nausea, loss of appetite, anxiety, tingling in extremities. Not fun stuff. I had it this weekend and got myself under control by immersing in the ocean, keeping my head cool, drinking Gatorade along with gallons of water. If you can, get into some air conditioning, or shade, relax, try not to do physical activity until fully hydrated again. Again, you can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

- heat stroke: by far the most serious, and life threatening. Symptoms include high body temperature, lack of sweating, red skin, all the signs of heat exhaustion but more severe, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing. Can also result in convulsions, collapse, loss of consciousness. If someone has these symptoms, you need to cool them down immediately! Pour cold water on them, fan them, apply cold packs, call 911. Again, you can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

Just please keep this in mind as we get to the dog days of summer when people are outside running, biking and playing outdoor sports. It's a lot more serious than people realize. Keep cool, stay safe, drink water.

:)