It’s hot outside, and there’s no escaping it. The entire northeast is letting out a big "welp" of despair as it eyes that temperature like it was being personally victimized. With the heat index creeping up into the 100s and the humidity sweltering through everyone’s pores like some sort of steam room no one asked for, it’s time to take the best kind of precautions and stay as chill as possible. Check out these seven tips to help elevate a bit of this heat.
1. Cool off in water
Check out one of the many Philadelphia public pools, or visit Dilworth Park’s fountain on the west side of City Hall. Don’t feel like venturing out? Set up your hose in your backyard with a sprinkler and go crazy. Also, a kiddie pool can be nice at any age if that’s all you have the room for.
2. But clean up afterwards and don’t leave pools of water lying around
This is how you get mosquitos. Even that small bucket filled with water is hosting so many mosquito babies right now and they cannot wait to feast on your blood when they get big enough and then breed more mosquito babies to feast on your blood some more – just a never-ending loop of mature mosquitos feasting on your blood like little vampires. Oh, does that scare you? Good. Dump that water out.
3. Drink lots of fluids
If you’re sweating more, you’re losing more water and more vulnerable to dehydration. It’s even worse in higher humidity because your internal temperature goes even higher. So, make sure you’re always sipping on some kind of fluid and try to focus on consuming vegetables and fruit that are high in water.
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4. Try to eat light and fresh
Melon is the quintessential summer fruit. You can put melon in just about anything: melon slushies, melon smoothies, melon popsicles, melon gazpacho, melon candy, melon and prosciutto. Basically, be the Bubba from Forrest Gump of melon. Other than the many wonderful uses of melon in summer time, a nice salad can always do the trick. Check out Ina Garten’s super easy watermelon and arugula salad or try Giada Di Laurentiis’ orzo salad. Keeping it light will also ensure that you’re body won’t dehydrate itself like it would if it was trying to metabolize and digest a half-pound burger.
5. Drink everything with ice
When the heat index is 105, everything’s better with ice. You can even make ice with add ins to flavor your water. Add a slice of lemon to each cube of ice or add a spring mint and a slice of cucumber to each cube. They will add wonderful cooling flavors to iced tea and water. You could even add strawberries and other berries to your ice for your sangria. Just simply fill the tray with water, add your toppings, and freeze.
6. Ice is nice but it’s even better to eat it
Popsicles are a fun way of adding a bit of oomph to your overheated afternoon. For an extra simple popsicle, puree watermelon, raspberry, sugar and bit of lemon juice. If you want to make something a bit heartier, you can try these coconut strawberry banana popsicles. Although alcohol may not be included in these recipes, it’s a very simple addition. All you have to do is just taste test everything as you go along…and make sure you separate the adult popsicles and the kid popsicles.
7. Topically cool yourself off
A spritz of cold perfume in the morning might be the pick-me-up you need. Mint lotion is another bright and invigorating way to cool off your skin. (Though, mint can be slightly irritating if you do have any skin sensitivities.) Aloe vera can be very soothing to skin that’s burned or not. Pro tip: you can also freeze aloe vera gel and use the cubed aloe vera to cool off even more.
What are some things you do to cool off?