As you’re probably aware, we just lived through a heat wave in Toronto. And unless you were fortunate enough to be in California, Florida, Mexico or somewhere else much cooler at the time (I’m not kidding), you had to find ways to stay comfortable and productive during the sunny attack on our city.
And while it may have cooled down for the time being, I’m pretty sure that we can bet on the temps climbing back up into the high 30′s (or more) with all that humidity that we so often feel. When that happens I want all of us to be prepared all boy scout-like!
Stay Hydrated! I know it sounds simple and logical and easy, but it’s not really. During your day you work and get distracted and finish a glass or bottle of water and just keep on truckin’ through your to-do list. Make sure that you make yourself get up for a refill. Keep drinking that water. Add some tasty squirt stuff to it if you want. Get a Gatorade to break up the monotony, whatever, just get it into you! Think about this, if you’ve been out in the hot sun for hours and you haven’t even had the urge to pee, you’re dehydrated.
Turn On The AC! If you’ve got Central Air, a window AC unit or a portable air conditioner in your workplace or residence (I hate you) turn it on and get it to a comfortable temperature. Now, you don’t have to go crazy and turn your apartment into a “sweater required” zone. It’s still okay to be in shorts and a tank top. But get comfy and allow yourself a chance to be productive.
Many Fans! If you don’t have an AC unit (get one) the next best options is cranking up as many fans as possible and moving the air around in hopes of cooling down. Point one right at you and keeping drinking water. Some people (read: grandmothers) suggest pointing a fan directly at your feet as it will help regulate your body temperature. If that works for you, go for it!
A Frozen Cloth! For serious. This is a trick that I learned back in my teenage years at Wendy’s. On crazy hot days with the grills and fryers and ovens blazing we would take fresh j-cloths, soak them in water and freeze them. When they were ready we pulled them out of the freezer and put them on our necks. It was like heaven. But don’t take my word for it.
Get Thee To A Pool! If you’ve got a friend or neighbor or friend of a friend or someone from the internet that you kind of know – and they have a pool, get your ass to their house. And if you don’t have any of those options available, there are outdoor public swimming holes available in Toronto for you!
Dress For The Occasion! We may not all feel like we’re “shorts” people or that we want to walk around with fully exposed arms (I’m talking about me) but it’s important not to make the situation worse by piling on the clothes and then staying in a hot spot. Understand that these are special circumstances and you need to take care of yourself. If you really don’t want to go the short pants and sleeves route, get light-light-light clothing in light colours.
I don’t know for certain that we’re going to get a stretch of super hot weather again this summer – but the odds are good that we will. And then there’s always next year. So, get ready, know what you want to do, and then take care of yourself.
We all want you to be around when it’s time to talk about surviving the cold!
