Strategies for Beating the Summer Heat

We had some hot days recently and I’ve been utilizing every strategy I can think of to beat the heat. The easiest is to stay in an air-conditioned place, of course. But that isn’t always possible.

I keep bottles half-filled with water (and sometimes a splash of lemon juice) in the freezer that I can fill just before I got outdoors…helping stay cool (and hydrated) by always having cold water with me.

If it’s sunny, hats help. My favorite has a wide brim all the way around so it protects my face and the back of my neck from sunburn. Taking a little shade around with me is worth the price of hat hair for the rest of the day.

Wearing skirts rather than jeans or capris or shorts is cooler. It’s not practical for hiking in tick infested area…I wear thin pants that I can tuck into my socks for that. Sandals or flip flops are my shoes of choice if I can’t go bare foot

If the humidity is not high, taking a spray bottle to mist my face and arms helps (and I can use it to enhance spider webs and flowers for photographs). It’s not helpful at all if the humidity is high.

Ice packs on my neck or shoulders are helpful and I have some fabric covered ones that I keep in the freezer for hot days. They work even if the humidity is high!