Simple Easy Ways to Keep Cool in the Summer Heat

July is here and soon the dog days of summer heat, August, will be draining us of our energy and our cool. There are some simple things you can do to cool off without swimming all day or sitting in the air conditioning.

Find a cucumber

Cucumbers are full of water! And eating them can help prevent summer fatigue and dehydration. I like to slice them into a bowl of cool salt water for munching when I'm feeling hot and irritable. The cucumber seed contains an amino acid, called cucurbitin, which is reputed to have moisturizing and soothing properties. No wonder, cucumber masks have been such a big hit for so long, Slicing cool cucumbers to place on our eyelids when we're hot and tired also works magic! You'll be cool as a cucumber.

Coca Cola

Instead of drinking all that sugary cola which may make you feel briefly cooler, but will leave you needing more water to drink, try putting the coca cola can in the freezer for a few minutes. Then hold the can around your neck! It's instant freshness! It cools the main artery in your neck. A cold wet washcloth draped around the neck works too, but the metal coldness of that coke can is heaven!

Peppermint

We know that peppermint has an icy coolness in our mouths when we gargle with it, or brush or teeth or chew some gum, but peppermint of any kind is a cooling refreshment. I keep a peppermint plant in my herb garden and bringing in a few sprigs of fresh peppermint and rubbing them between my fingers after I've spent a long morning typing or working in the garden, brings instant relaxation. Peppermint also quiets the tenseness we have when we are hot and flustered from hot weather. Put some in your iced tea and feel minty fresh.

Ice Tea

We all know that a tall glass of iced tea is one of the most refreshing drinks we can have in the summer time. Don't put too much sugar in it, but enough to sweeten and give you a bit of energy. Between the ice cold tea, the caffeine and the sugar, you'll feel energized and cooled off in no time.

A warm bath

Not a cool bath, a warm bath, but not a hot bath. It will relax you and after you get out of the tub, the air around you feels 15 to 20 degrees cooler! Sprinkle some mint leaves in the bath while your soaking and have some cucumber slices ready to soak on your eyelids for a perfect summer pick me up before dinner.

Wear light weight cotton clothing

If you've ever been to Mexico, you've seen the perfect hot weather clothing. Linen and loose cotton weaves allow air to pass through them to your skin. Adopt cooler clothing. My summer wear is a Capri length cotton loose fitting pant and a linen or cotton loose fitting short sleeve or sleeveless tunic. Perfect for hot summer days and if it looks a little rumpled, that's okay. It's summer time!

Eat spicy foods

It's true, eating mildly spicy foods makes you sweat, (because of the capsaicin, a chemical found in hot peppers) and when you sweat, your skin is wet and the air makes it feel cooler. So eat some spicy tacos, but in small quantities. Eating too much in one sitting makes you feel hot! Eat smaller meals, or graze.

Use a hot water bottle and fill it with cold water!

I love this tip. A friend shared this with me last year. Take an old hot water bottle and fill it with water, put it in the freezer. Before you go to bed..wrap it in a kitchen towel and lay it in the bed where you will sleep. Instant cool sheets when you go to bed!

Tips for keeping your house cooler

There are lots of ways to reduce the use of air conditioning and keep your home cool. Check out some of the tips here at Preparing for a Summer Heat Wave.

You can stay cool in July's heat without setting the air conditioner on 65!

Stay cool!