Avoid heat related illness
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EmailTips to avoid heat related illness, accompanied with a cooling lemonade recipe!
Summer is the season when people are outdoors engaging in outdoor activities and summer sports while temperatures soar high. A combination of physical exertion, exposure to prolong heat and inadequate fluid intake can result in heat related illness.
Michigan State University Extension recommends you follow recommended precautious from the Center of Disease Control to avoid heat related illness:
- Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours
- Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage and remember the warning in the first tip.
- Try to rest often in shady areas and stay out of direct sunlight.
- Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide brimmed hat (it also helps keep you cooler) and sunglasses, and by putting on a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).
Wear lightweight, loose fitting and light colored clothing. Drinking water is needed to avoid dehydration in warm weather. Health experts recommend that you drink eight to 10 glasses of water per day. Also try drinking fruit juices, non-fat milk, low-sodium soup, coffee or tea and low calorie sports drinks. Hydration can come from a variety of sources, including fresh fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, berries, grapes, peaches, tomatoes and lettuce. Enjoy your summer activities but remember to take safety precautions. You might want to cool off by making this icy cold lemonade recipe:
County Fair Style Lemonade
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 fresh lemons
2 cups ice cubes, plus extra for serving as necessary
1 cup ice water
Makes two glasses
Optional: Garnish with limes and mint for added favor
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for five minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Juice one to 1.5 of the lemons, reserving the last lemon half. Stir the lemon juice into the sugar syrup; you will have about one cup. Chill the lemon syrup in the fridge. Blend the ice in a blender or food processor until it is crushed. Put half the crushed ice in a cocktail shaker, along with half the chilled lemon syrup (about half-cup), along with half-cup ice water. Shake vigorously for a couple minutes, and then dump the whole mixture including the ice into a tall glass. Repeat with the remaining ice, syrup and ice water for the second shake-up. Cut the remaining lemon half into four slices and add two slices to each glass.
