Friday, July 22, 2011

How to escape the heat ...



There are lots of places to enjoy inside this summer. Overland Park, Lee's Summit and Kansas City all have indoor pools that residents can enjoy. Overland Park actually has 6 outdoor pools to keep you cool and 1 indoor pool. The cost is only $4-$5 for residents!

You can visit http://www.opkansas.org/ for more information on where the pools are located.

How about visiting the Great Wolf Lodge? They have some good summer deals. I took my son and my nephew there last year in June and it was a great time. It was HOT so we played outside for as long as we could stand it and then went to the inside water park. Once we were done playing, we just walked back to our room. You can have dinner inside the hotel and really shouldn't have to leave the hotel for anything, at least we didn't. You can find out more at www.greatwolf.com/kansascity. Make sure you look under the "Suites and Deals" tab for Summer Specials.

Whatever you choose to do this summer, it is important to hydrate by drinking lots of water and avoid outdoor activities in extreme heat to stay safe. People of all ages should be careful not to overexert themselves. Getting out of the heat if only just for an hour is said to give your body a chance to recover.

Follow these TIPS to stay safe in this blazing hot summer:

*Wear lightweight, light colored and loose fitting clothing.
*Stay hydrated.
*Eat smaller meals more often.
*Avoid caffiene, alcohol and carbonated beverages.
*Take regular breaks.
*Slow down ... If you have to get your hour of exercise in despite the heat, do it in the morning, usually between 4:00am and 7:00am.

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs of heat exhaustion are: feeling faint or dizzy, fatigue, excessive sweating, heat cramps and a headache. "Heat exhaustion is one of the heat-related syndromes, which range in severity from mild heat cramps to heat exhaustion to potentially life-threatening heatstroke," reports the Mayo Clinic website.

If you suspect someone is suffering from heat exhaustion, you should get the person out of the sun and into a shady or air-conditioned location, lay the person down and elevate the legs and feet slightly, loosen or remove the person's clothing, have the person drink cool water or other nonalcoholic beverage without caffeine, cool the person by spraying or sponging him or her with cool water and fanning and monitor the person carefully. Heat exhaustion can quickly become heatstroke, so don't be afraid to call 911 if you need to. Heatstroke is an EMERGENCY!

I moved here from Tampa, Florida 6 years ago and I have to tell you that it is HOTTER in Kansas now then it ever is in the dead of summer in Florida. It is a different kind of hot here! Colder winters and hotter summers. What was I thinking??

Keep cool ...
Melody Goss :)

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