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I find I spend most of the year waiting for great Summer weather to arrive then a couple of weeks after it does all I can think to do is complain about it and cross my fingers for rain. I'm not sure it would be better or worse if I was working outdoors instead of stuck at a desk, I'll leave you to decide that.

So with this heat in mind and with some of you doing quite physical work in it, I thought I would cover some of the things you can do to look after yourself and make your life a bit easier.

1. Use sun block (about factor 30), it's common sense and has nothing to do with keeping your skin looking young. Sunburn is painful and can contribute to dehydration (and other more serious issues we'll come to in a minute), of course much further down the line there is the increased chance of cancer, but I would hope you were all aware of that by now.

2. Drink liquid frequently, it's better to drink smaller amounts more often than it is to drink a lot all in one go. It doesn't really matter whether you drink water, tea, coffee, fruit juice, fizzy drinks, it will all rehydrate you, it's just that anything caffeinated, alcoholic or high in sugar will have less of an effect.

3. Try to keep your head and shoulders covered in direct sunlight, it will help to keep you cool even if it takes a little while for you to get used to it. Millions of people living in hot climates the world over can't be wrong, and during the second world war you could get in a lot of trouble if you were found not wearing your helmet in North Africa. Contrary to popular belief you don't lose the majority of heat through your head.

4. Make sure you're getting enough salt. If you've been sweating a lot your salt levels can get too low, it might be bad for your blood pressure but it is vital for your body to function properly, and sweating will get rid of a reasonable amount. This may be a good excuse for a packet of crisps but don't blame me if you find your belt getting tight. It's actually a really good excuse to eat more marmite, not that the marmite lovers among you will need an excuse.

5. Get some Sunglasses. If you're working outdoors a lot, it's probably a good idea to get some sunglasses with good UVA and UVB protection. It will help protect your eyesight for later in life and will stop the need for squinting possibly improving your ability to see your environment (and reducing the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes! - Susan) , just remember to take them off indoors. Unfortunately the government don't see sunglasses as a legitimate expense as they can be used for work and leisure, that's true even if you get some really ugly ones.

6. Keep any moles covered, not the ones underground the ones on your skin. I can understand if you want a tan so didn't bother with the sun block, I have done it myself, but moles do not react well to sunlight and sunburn, your best bet is just to stick a plaster over it. If you don't want a tan mark change the angle of the plaster each day.

7. Be aware of how you are feeling, any dizziness, headaches, feeling faint, nausea, heavy sweating, confusion and rapid shallow breathing can indicated heat exhaustion and maybe heatstroke, which is no laughing matter believe me. Take a break cool down, and drink something, otherwise you're risking your health and time off work.

8. Keep an eye on each other. If someone is looking less than great or is not behaving normally after a period in the sun, ask them how they are coping and make them take a drink and a break in some shade, it's much safer in the long run.

There we go, a not so brief run down for working and maybe playing in the sun. One further trick you might want to try, is if you have access to a freezer keep some icepacks in it for breaktime cooling. One of those on the side of your neck can cool your head down quickly.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend, and fingers crossed the weather is good.

Man it's hot.

Hugo
03/07/2009