I was at the drive in with my son, having a really great time. And then, suddenly… I just felt weird. As soon as the movie was over, we opted not to stay for the second one, and the more I drove, the worse I felt. I felt dizzy. I had a horrible headache. I was a little confused, struggling to find my turns. I was nauseated. And it was getting worse. As I struggled to continue driving, I pulled into a nearby restaurant, and made a call to my mom. 3 IV bags later, I found out I was suffering from heat exhaustion, which, if left to get any worse, would progress to heat stroke, had I remained for the second movie. Don’t make the same mistake… here are some ways to protect yourself against heat stroke.

While summer is drawing to a close, for many, August is the hottest, worst part of the year.

1) If your area is under a heat advisory, limit your outside time. Especially avoid the hottest parts of the day– for example, if you have no choice but to mow on a day where there’s a lot of heat, try mowing after sunset or early in the morning.

2) Make sure anything you’re wearing is loose fitting and lightweight. If you’re going for a run, swap the tight compression shorts for looser fitting apparel that will allow your skin to breathe and allow you to sweat, which cools you off.

3) Use sunscreen. If you get a sunburn, you can’t keep your body cool enough. Apply SPF, and reapply it regularly– you’ll need roughly a shot glass of sunscreen on your body every hour you’re in the sun.

4) Make sure someone knows where you’ll be when you’re outside, and how long you expect to be gone. Recently, a young man died in the Kansas City area, due to heat stroke, because when he headed home, he got disoriented and just… never made it. The best thing to do is to be in communication with family or friends so they know to come look for you if you don’t make it back when you should. It sounds morbid, but it’s really, really important.

5) STAY HYDRATED. Drink water. Drink more water. Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine if you’re going to be in the heat, as both tend to leave you dehydrated. Stick to water, and drink a lot of it. Many people will give you the tip to grab a milk jug and fill it up, but if you’re not keen on water and you’re going to be close to a water source, I like the opposite advice personally… for me, it’s easiest to grab a small glass, and focus on just drinking that glass. I tell myself “Jenni, drink. Focus on getting through this 6-8 ounces. That’s all you need to do.” And when it’s gone? I pour another. And another. It seems like a much easier goal than a gallon jug, and since I refill immediately after draining the glass, I’m drinking just as much. You do what works for you, but aim to drink at least 8 ounces an hour.

If you still aren’t keen on drinking water, make it fun! I like to use simple water infusions to make my water taste amazing– all you need is water and 12-24 hours to get the taste properly infused. I fill mine before bed and they’re great by morning!

Some of my favorite recipes are:

Strawberry Basil: Place the “tops” of your strawberries, washed thoroughly, in water with a small sprig of basil. Let chill overnight

Citrus Sunrise: Use 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, and 1 whole clementine orange, sliced and chilled overnight in water.

Cucumber Lime: This spa-water inspired infusion is delicious and easy. Slice 1/3 large cucumber and a whole lime into water and chill overnight.

Tropical Island Water: After a refreshing snack of pineapple and mangoes, don’t toss out the core– put the pineapple core and mango pit in water. Alternately, add some coconut water to the water in this infusion before soaking overnight.

Cucumber Mint: Just like the cucumber lime, but with a few sprigs of fresh mint instead of limes… for a new twist, try chocolate mint instead!

Lemonade Love: Slice an entire lemon in a jar of water, then let sit overnight. Before drinking, add a spoonful of sugar and shake, shake, shake.

The best thing about these infused water is that you don’t need to spend a ton of time peeling, etc, unless you want to. Just slice it up, throw it in, and be done. I like to make my water in a large carafe like the one pictured (purchased at Target) but any carafe or large mason jar would work just fine.

 

What’s your favorite way to stay hydrated? Let me know in the comments below!