Summer Survival

When it comes to surviving in hot climates during the summer time, there are a few things that you must remember. One of the most important things that I can tell you is to pace yourself and stay hydrated. You should drink water approximately every 10 minutes when the temperature is 90 degrees or better outside and if at all possible try to find yourself some shade to get into every 20 to 30 minutes. This might sound a little far-fetched to you, but I have watched people drop from heat. When I was younger while working on an okra farm in Florida, this was the case. The farmer that we worked for told everybody not to worry about rushing to make sure you don't hurt yourself. There was a tree line of oak trees that ran parallel to the field. He advised anyone that needed to take a break to sit in the shade and cool off.

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Even if it was every 10 minutes as he said. Well, I was young and did not want to seem like a sissy, so I stayed out pushing myself at a slow pace for about an hour on one particularly hot day. I had my bottle of water with me and stayed hydrated, but the heat was starting to get to me. I could feel myself starting to get a little bit dizzy. This is about 30 minutes into it. I watched several other individuals that work twice as hard as me without drinking water drop to the ground unconscious. They basically had given themselves heatstroke. Out of a crew of 15 people by the end of the day, there were only 5 of us left. The five of us that paid attention to what the old farmer said. Stay hydrated when you're in the heat. If there's shade, don't hesitate to cool off for a few minutes. No job or chore is worth your life.

 

Yep staying hydrated is the key!
But this bull about drinking every 10 minutes is only really applicable to marathon runners, triathletes and the like!
It is simply not needed unless you are one of the above!
I use 600ml water bottles and carry them full or empty!
If I stop for a drink I drink the whole bottle at once
Now for 15years I walked for a living summer winter rain hail or shine, long sleeves, long pants, boots and stupid company hat.
Around here summer lasts for 6 months and days regularly get to the 40's sometimes with 80%plus humidity!
I trained many new guys over those years and many believed in this drink every 10-20min stuff!
none of that stuff lasted!

A few rules I passed on
Good boots with thick wool socks
Walk smoothly and lift your feet enough so you don't trip but your not a model on a catwalk so don't do the pony pose!
Drink a lot! if you are not running you can drink a litre at a time easy!
Take it easy on sports drinks they have far too much stuff in them and that stuff makes you pee wasting fluid!
Just plain water is good salts and other stuff you can consume when you eat!
In really high heat and humidity you can lose over a litre of sweat per hour so rest for five every hour and down a litre or so!
Try not to pee! pee is mostly your body using fluid to flush excess salts and waste out
So ration salts not water!

 

This is so important! Living in Arizona for five years, I saw so many news stories hikers and backpackers dying or being rescued in really bad shape because of their adventures in the high temperatures. These are some really great things to keep in mind to stay safe in the heat.

It's also really important to know your limits and just have some respect for the weather. If it's the hottest day of the year, maybe don't go looking to climb the highest peak that day. In an emergency it's one thing, but so many are risking their lives just as hobbyists!

 

This thread is very timely because we are having a drought. But fortunately, the rains are coming and hoping that the heat will diminish soon. Drinks are in fashion, all kinds that has ice like iced tea, iced coffee, smoothie, shake, and even ice cream is getting good sales. The ice factory is also cashing in on the occasion. And not to forget, the beach and swimming pool resorts are almost always fully booked.

Now, for an ordinary person who cannot afford any of those luxuries, staying home is the best option. We had bought a plastic swimming pool that we install in the terrace. It can fit up to 4 people comfortably. However, it is not easy to install and the amount of water is huge and expensive that's why we use it sparingly, only when the kids are insistently demanding. And if you are alone and needed to be refreshed, taking a shower in the garden while irrigating the plants with a garden hose is a nice idea. You don't waste water since the water you shower with goes down to the plants and grass.

 

One of the survival basics of summer is drinking small amounts of water spread over periods of time for the body to have time to absorb the water. It goes without saying that light clothes would engender minimum insulation from heat which is a great source of discomfort in summer. A bottle of sunscreen is indispensable during this period.

 

I've never heard this 'drink little and often' thing before. When we treat people for dehydration in hospital we give them IV fluids and encourage them to drink as much as they want, it doesn't have to be spaced out. What's the rationale behind it?