Pink-tinged puffy clouds dotted the early morning skies as a dozen cyclists boarded the limo bus chartered to take us to breakfast. One rider, likely more wide awake than the rest, cleared his throat and read aloud from his cell phone weather app, “Severe heat warning today! Seek air conditioning. Do not engage in strenuous outdoor activity.”
“Ha!” “Yeah. Right.” Additional nervous laughter . . . . .
We were, together with 400 other cyclists, headed for a 94-mile bike ride from Dublin to Wooster as part of the tenth annual Pan Ohio Hope Ride. And for those of you familiar with Ohio geography – that also means HILLS! Mostly up.
So how do you remain a ‘Healthy Nurse’ (and there were several nurses in the group) in such unhealthy conditions that we were warned (severely!) against them? Is it even possible? And, dare I say, enjoyable and desirable? Yes again – with great care and the proper precautions.
Although our activity was a bit extreme, the same precautions can be followed for other less strenuous summertime outdoor chores and activities, with very enjoyable, even invigorating results. You can still exercise, and keep up your healthy behaviors on a very hot day! Cool!
- Make it an activity you truly enjoy. This can never be repeated enough – it’s the key to ‘Healthy Nurse’ living. Find something healthy you love to do, and do it. Even in the heat. Nothing beats a few hours on a bicycle . . . or golf course . . . or the beach . . . or hiking trails . . . or a tennis court . . . or in the garden . . . or watercraft . . . whatever healthy behavior(s) you like to do best.
- Start (and finish?) early. Or late. It is not going to be 97 degrees all day! It makes sense to get an early start in the cooler morning hours. Pan Ohio cyclists usually hit the road around 6 am. - just like so many other cyclists, runners, joggers, fisherpersons, dog-walkers, lawn mowers, garden weeders, and people engaged in all sorts of activity. Later hours, after the worst heat of the day should work OK, too.
- Be friendly. Something about those early morning hours - everyone tends to be extra outgoing towards one another. Perfect strangers regularly smile and greet each other in passing. “Morning!” “How’s it going?” “Beautiful day!”, “Looking good!” Early morning activity is worth exchanging all that friendliness!
- Do what you can in the shade. Ohio is extremely fortunate to have so many scenic all-purpose trails bordered by mature trees. Some trails even run alongside rivers and streams. The shade makes any activity actually cooler, and the nearby water makes it seem cooler. You can also rest on shady benches, even before you feel tired. Experience summer activity on our lovely state trails!
And now for the more serious, entirely necessary tips for healthy, warm, summer activities . . .
- Review the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, and tell yourself and your companions you will stop, rest in the shade, and drink water if you experience any of them. No arguments. No exceptions. Hold yourself and others to that rule. Look out for those you are with, and tell them to look out for you. It’s serious. Heat exhaustion can lead to late stage heat stroke - a medical emergency.
- Drink water, a sports drink, or some self-made mixture of the two. Frequently. Way before you are actually thirsty. Drinking about 500-600 ccs before starting out, and 200-300 ccs every 15-20 minutes seemed to provide most comfort. It’s based a little on self-experimentation and knowing exactly how your body feels – heat, thirst, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Eventually you (especially Healthy Nurses) learn to titrate needed fluid volume and electrolyte mix (from the sports drink) with your hydration and energy levels. You don’t want to ‘slosh’, and you definitely don’t want to deplete. While on the ride, we each carried 1-3 liters of fluid, and sipped just about every mile. We refilled every 60-90 minutes at the scheduled rest stops.
- We were advised by the bike ride organizers to drink extra water two-three days before the actual event. I don’t know the science behind this, and can’t say I noticed any particular effect from doing it (other than more trips to the bathroom on those days). I’d be curious to know what others think about this practice.
- Rest and cool off! If engaging in strenuous activity on a hot summer day, these two techniques definitely refresh:
1) Sit in the shade and soak bare feet in a little kid’s plastic swimming pool filled with cold water. This is particularly effective for runners,cyclists, and anyone performing activity on their feet.
2.) Soak a few cloth-like paper towels in a cooler filled with ice water – mostly ice. Remove bike helmet, baseball cap, or sun bonnet. Place one iced towel on top of your head and a second one on the back of your neck. Invigorating! It’s worth getting hot, simply to feel this relief! This does not work as well using paper towels when the cloth ones have run out. Paper tears apart and makes a mess. Ask me how I know.
- Use sunscreen. To prevent skin cancers, sunburn, and early effects of aging, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends a sunscreen that is:
- Broad-spectrum (preventing UVA and UVB rays)
- Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30+
- Water resistant
Read the label to be sure. Remember to cover places that are so easy to forget until they burn – ears, above the elbows, back of the shoulders. Use a small handful of lotion, or spray generously. Reapply every 2-3 hours.
Read this for more sunscreen facts.
- Know when to say when. Refer to heat exhaustion warnings above. As the day wore on, and the temperatures climbed along with the hill elevations, many cyclists chose to stop. So many stopped that the support vehicles finally could not transport everyone. The course officially closed, and all cyclists/bikes were bused/trucked to Wooster. Sure, it was disappointing. Yes. I was just a few miles away – and could have made it with a little more time. But part of being healthy on a hot summer day is to be safe, too. And good to go for the next day – from Wooster, home to Cleveland!
Looking back at last month’s blog, with the ‘Healthy Nurse Alphabet’, I’d say this month, we hit ‘S’ words pretty hard – Summer Safety, Sunscreen and Skin care, heat Stroke avoidance. Appropriate for August. I had asked readers for additional “Healthy Nurse Alphabet’ ideas, and received several good ones from Melanie Morris. Church/Community of like-minded people – definitely going under the ‘C’s’. Pets (Melanie included everything from dogs/cats to the more unusual hermit crabs!) And Melanie also pointed out that walking a dog is definitely a Healthy Nurse behavior. So we added a new ‘W’ as well – ‘Walking’ –with or without a dog! Thanks Melanie!
Any other ideas?