With summer temperatures rising, here are a few tips on how to keep your cool for a safe and fun summer.

1.  Wear loose lightweight cottons and linen clothing.  Remember to choose white or lighter color clothing which reflects heat over black and darker colors that tend to absorb the heat.  Watch your head!  Hats are a great way to shade your face and keep your head cool!

2. Drink plenty of water. Your body is estimated to be about 60 to 70 percent water.You need to sweat to stay cool. You can’t sweat if you are dehydrated. How much water do you need?  A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you exercise.

3. Avoid alcoholic beverages and beverages with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and cola. Alcohol and caffeine constrict blood vessels near the skin reducing the amount of heat the body can release. Although beer and alcoholic beverages appear to satisfy thirst, they actually cause the body to dehydrate.

5. Slow Down Your Pace – Summertime is the time to take things slow and easy.  Don’t over exert yourself and if you must engage in physical activities, slow down your pace and choose the coolest time of day to do so. Exercise early in the morning,  or later in the evening when the sun goes down.

6. Time your showers. Take a shower if you are home around dinner time. It will cool you down for about one hour and at the time when your home starts to cool down.

7. Don’t over eat. Eating a big meal forces your body into metabolic mode causing more heat, so try to eat more frequent snacks throughout the day.  Instead of hot foods, try lighter summer fare including frequent small meals or snacks containing cold fruit and vegetables or low fat dairy products.

8. Use your microwave to cook. It is your most efficient kitchen appliance and it will not fill your home with heat, like an oven.

9. Shut down unnecessary electronic devices. Many new TVs, VCRs, chargers, computer peripherals and other electronics use electricity even when they are switched “off.”  Although these “standby losses” are only a few watts each, they add up to over 50 watts in a typical home that is consumed all the time.  And remember to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms!

10. Reduce the temperature in your water heater!  Set the thermostat to 120 degrees or less for normal use, and lower the setting when away from home for extended periods. For every 10 degrees decrease in heater temperature, energy use may be cut by 3 to 5 percent.

11. Close doors to unused rooms and open closets. Make sure your home is air-tight when you need to keep cooler air inside. In the morning, close up your house and draw blinds and drapes so the house stays darker and thus cooler. If you have blinds, close them or angle them upwards. That way, light is reflected up and into the room Propecia pill whithout prescription and the direct rays of cialis 5mg daily dose the sun are not let in.

12. Use box fans along with ceiling fans. During the summer, a ceiling fan should (in most cases) be running counterclockwise when viewed from below. Combine that with box or window fans to draw air into your room and then out of your room.

13. Get out! Bowling or catching a reduced-price matinee movie during the daytime in an ice-cold movie theater is a great alternative to staying at home. The local public library offers a great place to read for hours — as well as offers all sorts of movies, books and music to check out for free.

Remember to check daily on the elderly, infants, and anyone with a chronic illness since they are especially susceptible to the heat-related illnesses and dehydration.

Using common sense and a few safety precautions, when dealing with the summer’s heat, will lead to a healthy, safe and fun filled summer for all!