Keep Your Cool This Summer

Enjoy Hot Weather by Keeping Cool

 

We have had a slow lead up to summer in Sonoma County with pretty mild weather, but July is supposed to start some hot weather cycles especially for the interior valleys in Sonoma County. Staying cool when the weather is hot makes warmer weather more enjoyable. We share with you today some hints that have helped us stay personally cool during hotter days.

 

Some of our hints that we will share you probably have heard of before, but others were new to us and we found that they worked well to cool our bodies down when both inside and outside during hot weather. Enjoying the summer weather is great, but too much sun can lead to not feeling your best and even heat stroke.

 

Dress for Hot Weather

 

What you wear during a hot day can make a lot of difference in how you feel. Choose loose, light-weight, breathable fabrics such as linen and cotton instead of synthetics. Polyester, rayon, modal, or spandex and blends of these synthetic fabrics tend to trap the heat in our bodies, not allowing our bodies to breathe.

 

If you are a woman, free-floating dresses give lots of air flow. No matter what your gender, staying away from form-fitting clothing when it’s hot is best. Fabrics that breathe are cotton and linen. Pairing up light layers that you can deconstruct during the day lets you be most adaptable.

Hats in hot weather or great, but as with clothing keeping them light and airy is best. If you like ball caps, just make sure they aren’t really tight. Ball caps can be dunked in water and then worn, which helps your body cool down.

 

Hydrate Continually

 

When it’s hot we sweat, southerner’s like to say women glow, they are used to the combination of hot and humid weather. Your body’s natural way to cool down is to perspire, but perspiration lowers our hydration and a lot of perspiration or heat will help deplete your electrolytes. It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking lots of liquids. Water is just one way to stay hydrated, drinking fruit infused water actually hydrates your body better because low amounts of sugar in water lets your body absorb the water better.

 

Fruit or vegetable infused water is easy to make, just slice a lemon, cucumber, an orange, or strawberries and put it in a carafe of water in the refrigerator for a few hours and then decant to your favorite travel bottle. I have a non-BPA travel bottle and I fill it with my favorite liquid and freeze it when it’s hot and put it in our travel cooler and it stays frozen for hours. It’s a great trick if you’re going for a walk during hot weather or if you are playing tennis or golf to keep you cool when it’s hot outside.

 

Cold Showers, Sprinklers & Umbrellas

 

If you don’t have a pool, a cold shower any time of the day is a great cool down. If you want to learn about the benefits of cold showers or cold plunges, just search for the Wim Hof Method and you will see so much information about the benefits of cold showers. Running through the sprinklers isn’t just for kids, it’s a great way to play with your dogs and cool them down, plus it brings out the kid in you and cools you down at the same time!

 

Patio umbrellas are great, but personal umbrellas keep you cooler in the summer also. We have installed misters under our umbrellas on the deck and what a difference they make in how hot it feels when the temperature goes up! Misters are great to install on the south or west facing side of your house, under the eaves to cool down your house after the sun has gone down. I still have memories of my dad hosing down the top of the house after a hot summer day.

 

Think Small Meals, Cool & Light Food

 

Keeping your core temperature cooler during hot weather helps you feel cooler. One of the best ways to do this is eating smaller meals during the day and choosing cooling foods such as cucumbers, watermelon, salad, or many vegetables and fruits.

During the summer I keep cut up watermelon in the refrigerator to nimble on during the day. Watermelon is very hydrating and has a high-water content, antioxidants, and also amino acids that help replenish your body when it’s hot. Watermelon also helps digestion, protects our body from inflammation, improves circulation, and more. I also keep lemon juice on hand to make my own lemon popsicles, they are so easy!

 

We have such good fruits and vegetables available in Sonoma County that keeping your refrigerator stocked so you can easily create a green salad or fruit salad is easy. Cottage cheese is a great staple to have on hand in the summer. Cottage cheese is not only good for fruit salads, but makes a delicious keto-friendly bread and also ice cream. I keep it on hand for the basis for my banana bread, chicken enchiladas, and a whole lot more!

Cottage Cheese Bread

 

This light bread with high protein will become one of your favorite breads. It’s not only delicious, but it’s also a great bread.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats-almond flour or all purpose flour can be substituted for oats
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Add all the ingredients to your blender or mix by hand and stir or pulse till smooth. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Watch how brown the top is getting and you can drape the top with foil to avoid over-browning.
3. This great bread will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and makes wonderful sandwiches and French toast.

 

Keep Everything Cool

 

 

Starting with the beginning of summer I keep a spray bottle in the refrigerator with water blended with some of my favorite essential oils. It’s great way to cool down during the day and the spray bottle can easily be packed into your travel cooler during the day to keep you cool. Try storing your lotions and toner in the refrigerator during the summer, it makes them a cooling treat for your face and body during hot weather.

If you don’t have air conditioning, using box fans in front of windows when it cools down is a great way to cool down your house. During the day you can put a bowl of ice in front of a box fan and the cool breeze will help bring down the temperature of your room. We have a fan on our back deck and also our front deck that we run on summer nights when it’s hot and we want to cool down. The outdoor fan cools you and also keeps mosquitos away-a double bonus.

In this hot weather, treat yourself to delegating house cleaning to Crystal Clear Home. Gives us a call at 707-827-3316 or fill out our free estimate form and one of our cleaning professionals will be in touch soon to give you a free cleaning estimate.