How to Survive in the Heat #
40 degrees and the thermometer is rising. Your dog sprawls panting in the shade and sweat is pouring down your back? Here is how you survive.
Let's face it: we love the summers in Mallorca! We come or live here because of those reliably blue skies, the cool mornings that go into hot, hot days where a dip in the pool is a orgasmic experience.
Whether you are visiting or live here, this is how you make your Mallorca Summer a wonderful experience:
- Slow right down. In July and August, you want to take your life out of fifth gear, put her in second and enjoy the ride. There is a good thing about mañana-mañana, because life is easy here. It's going to be 40 C and you don't want to be out riding your bicycle in that heat.
- To keep your house or flat as cool as possible, close shutters during the day, open all windows during the night for cross-ventilation. If you have no shutters, white curtains hanging from a rail installed on the outside of windows & doors are a cheap, efficient and attractive alternative to keep the sun out.
- As a more affordable alternative to AC, get yourself an industrial fan (or better: two) and keep the air moving. Collateral benefit: mosquitoes hate being in the breeze.
- Believe it or not, science says that hot drinks are actually better than ice tea. There is a downside to this, however. Be careful: you could lose up to 2 litres an hour in perspiration, so fill up your body
- Talking about drink: Be careful with alcohol consumption. Alcohol dehydrates the body and increases the risk for heat stroke.
- Food & drink is the number one factor to make you stay nice and cool. So, follow these simple suggestions.
- Start the morning with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice at your local bar.
- Make sure to have a light breakfast, then any strenuous activity before the heat of the day.
- For lunch it's gazpacho time. Cucumber is guaranteed to cool you off and joghurt, too. In India with average year-round temperatures around 32–40 °C (90–104 °F) in most of the interior, people swear by cooling raita with their meals, a joghurt & cucumber drink. Or why not try our recipe for a creamy Cucumber Gazpacho
- Early evening meals might be healthy, but Mallorquians have their dinners way after sundown for a reason. The body has to cool down before it digests food.
- You might try a late-afternoon snack of fresh water melon. It's hydrating and has the natural sugars your body craves to replenish the electrolytes you lose through perspiring.
- All said, there is nothing better than splurging 10 whole euros on a menu del dÃa filling up on some delicious paella and the glass of vino tinto or rosado, strolling home in the heat, heaving a really nice cool shower and rolling into bed, lounge chair or hammock in front of your fan. It's siesta time.
- No matter what time of the day, a little Qigong exercise will always help to cool you down. Qi is the Vedic word for the body's life force. When the life force is stressed, vitality has friction and does not move through the body.
- You might want to try this Qigong movement named The Four Seasons: 1) in a standing position with arms loosely by your side, lean forward slowly until you are slightly tilted. This helps to loosen your chest muscles. 2) Inhale with emphasis on gently expanding the front side of the ribs and inhaling to fill up the lungs. 3) In a fluid motion, gently lean backward to loosen the back muscles and exhale. Repeat this 5 to 10 times. For the next sequence, reverse by gently leaning back to inhale and leaning forward to exhale. Finally, repeat both directions with circular arms movements that resemble rowing a boot in sync with the forward and backward leaning movement. This will lead excess qi and heat away from the heart out toward the extremities.
- Another good movement to move Qi is to stand with knees loosened and slightly bent. Visualize sitting on a horse with your feet in the stirrups. You let the horse gently walk you through a meadow. Keep your arms loose. Now your horse is cantering and your are not holding the reins. Just let them go. And move your arms up and down, side to side as you are still riding the horse. Do not tighten your hips, psoas or abdomen muscles. Just stay lose and flexible, riding that horse. Feel your neck and head loose. Then, imagine being off the horse, feet on the ground and trance dance. Move side to side, up and down, gently moving your arms while keeping your hands nice and loose. After 10 minutes of this, you will be relaxed and heat will not bother you. Promise.
- And remember: Not matter what time of day or night, you can always have this dip in the pool or the sea or this wonderful cool shower. When was the last time you had this naked midnight swim
Sources
https://www.24alife.com/advice/nutrition/foods-that-keep-your-body-cool
https://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/2013/foods-reduce-body-heat-032766.html
By Memphis Holland
24 June, 2019
