Alright folks. The first big heat wave has arrived in New England (thank goodness!) In my years of life thus far, I have determined that the first really hot day of each year is quite possibly the happiest day to ever exist ever in history. Yes, happier than Christmas. Yes, happier than that rare day you miraculously wake up rested. Yes, happier than a slinky on an escalator (I stole that from a commercial...because it's hilarious).
This is what I do on the first hot day of the year: I get so excited and just want to be outside all day and not do anything except be outside. Wellllllll, that's not very smart. In order for you to not be stupid like me, I'm going to give you some suggestions on staying safe in the heat. Let's hope you follow them**:
1. Dehyration
2. Burns
Let's start with dehydration. This one is easy people. Just keep water with you and drink it a lot. I know this makes you pee more, but it's worth it. Trust me. (And please get out of the pool to pee...please...I'm literally begging you. No one wants that on them so stop it.) When the temperature in our environment is high, our body temperature rises as well. Most of us know that our organs, including our brain, are not very good with extreme temperatures. They are kinda dumb in fact. The silly organs just kinda stop working in extreme temperatures. So our body tries to fix the whole sitch by sweating (or shivering in cold weather). This increases blood flow to our skin and cools us down. What is sweat though? basically, it's water and salt, right? correct. Our body still needs water to function correctly so we have to replace that water that we are sweating out. Salt and other necessary electrolytes are super important too. Na is a key component of one of the biggest pumps in our bodies. If it fails, we're screwed. Drink lots of water and get electrolytes!
Okay, this one is tough to talk about--burns. We live in a society where natural tans are considered beautiful and sexy. Sure they are. But UV radiation is definitely not the best thing for our skin. And think about it people, your skin is your body's LARGEST defense from the environment. Wear sunscreen. Wear sunglasses (gotta protect those eyeballs too). Ladies (and gents for that matter), put on face lotion every day that has at least an SPF of 15. The skin on our face is sensitive, especially around our eyes. Avoid early onset of wrinkles and sunspots by protecting your skin. I'm gonna need to follow this advice as well--I'm not that innocent (oh lord, Britney is now in my head. God help me.) I am lucky enough to not have the type of skin that burns easily. Tanning causes damage to the skin too--so be careful. be smart.
Now go have fun in the sun! Summer is here!!!!!
**Keep in mind that these suggestions are for people who are healthy and of an adult age. If you are elderly, a kid, or have certain illnesses, you need to be SUPER cautious with the sun. The sun makes the world go round but it can also cause a lot of damage to our bodies if we don't interact with it appropriately.
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