Summers mean rising temperatures, harsher sun, and longer days. Summers also mean feeling hot, sweating, getting tired easily, being perpetually thirsty, and just feeling lethargic. There are also higher chances of getting dehydrated due to fluid loss, and getting diarrhoea, as food tends to spoil faster.
The way to survive an Indian summer is to adapt your lifestyle to the season. We bring you seven invaluable tips to take the pinch out of the summer and to help you to coolly enjoy the hot months.
Stay Hydrated.
Simple. Basic. No-fail.
Heat makes you sweat and sweat causes water loss in the body that should be replenished at the earliest.
- Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. More, if you work out, go outdoors, or tend to sweat a lot.
- Keep a water bottle at your workstation, and keep sipping in between. Skip plastic bottles. Use stainless steel, copper, bamboo, glass, or earthen bottles. These are better for your own health, better for the planet too.
- Keep pitchers of water in the refrigerator (add mint leaves or lemon slices for refreshing kick) for cool (not chilled) satiation.
- You can also buy a traditional earthen pitcher (Matka) and cool your drinking water the millennia-old way.
Wear khadi, cotton or linens.
Natural fiber is the way to go for clothing. Ditch all synthetics and polyesters. Opt for khadi, cotton, and linen, or their blends. Fabrics made with natural yarns are comfortable and absorbent. These do not suffocate your skin, and also help check body odour.
Eat light and fresh meals.
As you know already, summer is the time when food spoils faster.
- We recommend eating fresh cooked meals as much as you can.
- Opt for low carb meals with high protein pairings for easier digestion. Like rice and lentils, or roti rolls stuffed with big helpings of veggie salad.
- Eat fiber-rich foods like prunes, beans, and fresh veggie and fruit salads to get sufficient fiber in your diet. Fiber keeps your gut health in a good zone by encouraging healthy gut flora. This also helps boost immunity against infections. One more added advantage: fiber adds the ‘fullness’ feeling and that helps curb mindless eating.
- Drink cool drinks like coconut water, buttermilk, vegetable and fruit juices, and smoothies. These keep the body cool and hydrated. Stay away from sugary sodas and colas.
- Have your dinner at least 2-3 hours before your bedtime for easier digestion and sounder sleep.
Get your sunlight at the right time.
Vitamin D is made inside the body on exposure to sunlight. As Vitamin D is critical to bone and muscle health, regular exposure to sunlight is essential for skeletal health. As sunlight is harsh most of the daytime in summers, we recommend 15-20 minutes in early morning sunlight at the time of sunrise. You can combine this with a walk in the park or light exercise in the open air.
Shield yourself from sunlight.
While some sunlight is vital for health in summers (or any season, for that matter), too much direct exposure to it, especially in hot summers, can be harmful. Tanning, sunburn, photo-aging are some negative side effects of sun exposure caused by the ultraviolet (UV) radiation that you don’t want happening to you.
We advise the application of broad-spectrum sunscreen lotion with adequate Sun Protection Factor (SPF) as per your exposure strength and duration. You can also consider using a sunscreen serum (for added sun protection), or a water-resistant sunscreen lotion (if you are going to beach or swimming pool), for keeping your skin safe from harmful effects of direct sunlight.
Stay active indoors.
The summer of 2020 has brought the world to a standstill due to the Corona-induced lockdown. This has made gyms and public spaces out of reach, and normal physical activities like workouts, jogging and group yoga impossible. Still, activity is vital to your health and we recommend nature walks with masks on. Also recommended are at-home exercising, exercycling, stair climbing, etc to stay fit.
Bathe twice a day. Moisturize skin.
Seems simplistic, doesn’t it? But trust us, bathing or showering twice a day keeps you feeling much fresher and way less smelly. Use a good sulphate-free body wash or shower gel, and indulge your self to fragrant spa-like sessions morning and evening. You will feel much lighter, and body odour will also stay away. Don’t forget to moisturize your post-bath skin with a mineral-oil free moisturizer. Summer or winter, you skin needs all the moisture it can get to stay youthful.
