Taking care of yourself during summers
Summer means exams, followed by holidays and fun. Summer also means scorches like sunburn, heatstroke, dehydration, drenching sweat, and fungal infections. The sweltering scorching summer calls for extra care, as intense heat affects our body and skin. What have you planned to take care of all these? We will tell you what to do.
Water is the best thirst quencher
Water is the best way to keep body cool during summer, and prevent dehydration. Increase the water intake, irrespective of activity. It is time to add butter milk, tender coconut water to your daily diet chart. Avoid excessively cold drinks. They don’t really cool down in summers. They cause constriction of blood vessels, and prevent heat loss, which is absolutely not advisable in summers. Caffeinated drinks and carbonated beverages cause dehydration. Instead, eat fresh fruits like watermelon, and musk melon, available plenty in summer.
Deal with excess sweat
Excess sweating causes prickly heat, and blisters in armpits, skin folds, and areas of tight clothing. It also leads to electrolyte imbalance in body. To deal with this, avoid too much exposure to sun. Ultra-violet rays are at its peak between 1pm to 3 pm. Try and stay indoors during this time. Use sunscreen half an h,our before going out in sun and reapply every 4-6 hours if needed. Tight, skin-fit clothes hamper circulation, increase sweating, and cause discomfort. Loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes will keep you cool all day. Cotton clothes are good option. Maintain good hygiene. Take bath twice a day to avoid excess sweat and body odur. Use prickly heat powder.
Heat and what to eat
Eat light to feel light, and healthy. Do not overeat. Fatty and fried food in excess leads to fatigue and dullness. It slows down the digestion. Excessive fat or fried food leads to lethargy, as it slows down the digestive process. It also affects the skin, making it look unhealthy. In addition, fat has thermal effect, raising the body temperature. Body uses organic salts from fruits. Avoid excess salt and salty food, as inorganic salt is digested, and needs to be thrown out. This is another reason you need to drink lot of water! Minimize intake of dry fruits, and add on fresh fruits and fruit juices. Avoid heavy vegetables like radish, spinach, onion, garlic, beetroot, and onions. Grapes and pineapple are difficult to digest. Soak mangoes overnight before eating to make them easy to digest. Avoid excess smoking and alcohol.
Seasonal allergies and Skin care
People prone to heat rash should take precautionary and protective measures during summer. Avoid tanning your skin. People working outdoors might not be able to avoid the sun, heat, humidity and pollution. Heat rash or boils could then blight their bodies. A quick easy way to deal with this is Aloe Vera pulp. Apply it daily to your skin. Sandalwood paste also has cooling effect. Avoid going into grass areas, close your car windows while traveling, and use mask or handkerchief while going out, to avoid allergies. Take care of these simple things and have a super summer ahead!
