Everyone needs to practice proper heat safety during the hot summer months, but seniors are especially vulnerable and thus must take extra precautions. If you plan ahead, listen to what your body is telling you, and make smart decisions, you can have a fun, activity-filled summer and stay safe from the elements. Here are some tips.

Stay hydrated

The number one way for seniors to protect themselves from the heat is to stay hydrated at all times. If you begin to feel thirsty, you’re already experiencing mild dehydration. It’s vital that you carry a water bottle with you at all times during the summer and drink from it consistently – even if you’re not feeling particularly thirsty. Water is your best bet for good hydration, but tea, milk, juices, and even high-water content vegetables and fruits can all help. You should try to limit your alcohol consumption if you can, as it has a severe dehydrating effect. Check out these extra tips on how to stay hydrated.

Take note of the heat index

The degrees on the thermometer aren’t the only reading you should pay attention to. You should note the heat index when deciding how to prepare for your outdoor time. The heat index factors in both the temperature and the humidity to give you an idea of what the heat will actually feel like outside. The heat index is often presented as “Feels Like x.”

Seek out air conditioning breaks

Hopefully your home has a good A/C unit so you have a place to stay when it’s really hot. But if you’re out and about in the middle of summer activities, you may be far away from your home. You should seek air conditioning breaks every hour or so to cool your body down and prevent you from succumbing to heat exhaustion, or more seriously – heat stroke. Pop in a store, restaurant, or movie theater for a few minutes for a brief respite.

Always carry cooling devices

There are plenty of ways to cool yourself when outdoors. Battery-powered fans are a good option – ones that also have a misting element are better. You can bring a rag or towel with you, wet it periodically, and place it on your head and neck. As it evaporates, it will cool you. Regular towels will work ok, but you should probably invest in a specialty cooling towel, which are inexpensive and extremely effective.

Just stay inside when it’s super hot

All the preparation in the world isn’t going to help you if it’s hot as blazes outside. On these incredibly hot and humid days, you should make the decision to stay inside and postpone your activities to a cooler day. If you have outdoor responsibilities, consider having someone do them for you. Seniors who are active and participate in activities like dog walking are healthier on the whole, but it’s counterproductive to do these sorts of things in extreme heat. If you need something done in your yard, for instance, like mowing the lawn, consider asking a friend, family member, or neighbor. If you need something delivered to your home or you need to take something somewhere, consider using an app like Postmates to hire a courier.

As a senior, you may worry that summer activities are too dangerous. You should listen to your body, of course, and never push it to extremes. But on the whole, you can enjoy summer activities if you prepare and follow some simple heat safety tips.

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Tremendous advances made by medical science in the treatment of disease have fostered an ethos in which prescriptive cures obscure other, more intuitive approaches to healing. However, in recent years evidence has proven what many consider the true secret to healing the natural way – exercise and a healthy diet. In fact, type 2 diabetes has reached near-epidemic proportions in the United States and elsewhere in the developed world.

While the typical approach would be to rely on a pharmacological approach, making lifestyle changes also can have a positive impact on diabetes sufferers. A National Institute of Health study showed that healthy eating and regular physical activity resulted in weight loss and improved diabetes management in thousands of overweight subjects over a four-year trial period. Dozens of studies have revealed that patients who exercised approximately 150 minutes per week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 25 percent in comparison to those who got no exercise.

Eating right

The benefits of a healthy diet are well-documented. However, type 2 diabetes patients may only have a vague understanding of what “eating right” means, or may be inclined to ignore healthy foods (and doctor’s orders) in favor of the unhealthy foods that play a major role in their condition. Frozen or fresh fruit, beans, lean meats, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and fat-free dairy products should be a part of every diabetes patient’s diet. Processed foods, which rank high on the glycemic index, and fast foods should be avoided at all costs and high-fat, high-sodium snack foods should be replaced with alternatives such as nuts or yogurt. Yet many diabetes patients who improve their eating habits fail to control their weight and condition by failing to incorporate exercise into their weekly routines, which is as important in the management of type 2 diabetes as healthy eating.

Exercise and weight loss

The Centers for Disease Control reports that your risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be reduced as much as 7 percent with only moderate weight loss. For someone who already has type 2 diabetes, losing just 10 pounds will lower glucose levels. There’s more to it than dropping a few pounds, especially for those who have trouble keeping it off. It’s important to maintain a program of regular exercise. Some experts recommend a routine interspersed with bursts of high-intensity activity and weight-lifting exercises. In general, 30 minutes a day of brisk exercise is recommended.

A soothing environment

Stress is a major contributor to a long litany of physical afflictions, from migraines and nausea to heart trouble and adrenal problems. For people with type 2 diabetes, stress means elevated blood glucose levels, a dangerous condition if left unaddressed for too long. Meditation, yoga and exercise can reduce your stress, but alleviating its effects is largely a matter of trial and error and figuring out what works best for you. A healthy, relaxing home environment can also have a soothing effect on both mind and body. A Princeton University study found that clutter undermines one’s concentration and cognitive functioning. Creating a neat and orderly home decorated with houseplants and aesthetically pleasing artwork can do much to keep your stress levels under control.

A holistic approach

Scientific evidence proves that managing illness and combating disease requires a holistic approach that’s largely been ignored by the medical community until recently. Multiple studies have shown that regular exercise and a diet featuring whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, fruit and beans figure prominently in the management of type 2 diabetes and other diseases. A holistic, healthy lifestyle should also include a relaxing home environment that mitigates the effects of stress.

Courtesy of Pixabay.com.