Some very important things come as pairings:  Your hair might be colored salt and pepper;  it frequently rains cats and dogs; the OR has its ups and downs;  Chez Paul offers wine and cheese.  And summer?  Summer pairs heat and hydration.  As the temperature soars along with the humidity, here are some things to help you stay hydrated and withstand the heat.

The standard daily drinking water prescription for adults is eight glasses – that’s eight eight-ounce servings and varies by little from one body type to another.  Add extra activity or summer heat to the mix and the recommendation increases to nine or more glasses.  Move to an arid climate or humid tropical haven, and set RX-it a glass higher.  You don’t need to drink until your food floats (see dilutional hyponatremia) but if you wait until you FEEL dry and thirsty before refilling your tank, you’ve waited too long to refill.

Click here to learn more about avoiding dehydration

Drinking water in most countries outside the USA is served without ice and often at room temp.  Although it remains part of the drinking debate, there is a certain amount of logic in drinking your beverages at room temperature, even tepid.  But the American Council on Sports Medicine recommends cold water to challenge metabolism and burn the most calories.  Others say that water is water; just get wet.

When I counsel clients on their nutritional needs, I encourage them to up their intake of watery vegetables and fruits.  Raw, grilled or steamed tender crisp, between all those tiny turgid veggie cells are gazillions of antioxidants wrapped in high-fiber packages and dressed in vibrant, low-calorie color.  Stylin’ as well or better than their veggie friends, fresh nutritious fruit comes water-tight.  Red watermelon and strawberries (lycopene), orange cantaloupe and papaya(beta carotene), dark blueberries and purple plums (vitamin C ), green kiwi and honeydew melon (potassium, vitamin C) are refreshing, hydrating and abundant in summer. Make use of a juicer, blender, or food processor and create a colorful beverage to accompany your dinner salad.  You can eat cold and be hot!

There always seems to be some Dallas Bubba who does his five-mile run mid-day in an adjusted summer temperature of 91 degrees Farenheit.  Frequently, Kansas City’s      Woodside tennis round robin doesn’t even begin until 9:00 a.m. with the sun bearing down.  Golfers in hot, humid Florida are notorious for teeing off after 8:00 a.m. and for some strange reason, there’s always a crowd of daytime skaters in July on both boardwalks, east and west.  Are they all nuts? Did they just consume a gallon of water each?  Or, fancy this possible explanation:  Perhaps members of Active Anonymous tolerate the heat because they are active and in shape.  Withstanding both hot and cold temperatures is easier for those who maintain a healthy weight and strong, muscular body.  Between the lines you know they have developed good eating habits and skills of endurance to even be labeled “strong and muscular,” but there is also a true chemical composition to the fit body that isn’t in the make-up of a soft, flabby, heart-stopping structure that acts more as a respiratory challenge during hot weather than a shelter in the shade. Only the strong survive the heat; the flabby flail.

While you’re sipping on your unflavored, cool, spring water, contemplate the following quips while remembering: Water hydrates, it softens your skin, it aids in digestion and the absorption of nutrients, it cools the body, it fills you up…and especially during the heat and humidity, it puts out fires.

 Water spots

Booze on the Beach and Coffee with Caffeine are hot-weather de-hydrants.  Nix the mix.

Being in shape increases your tolerance for heat.  Round is a shape, not in shape.

If your body heat comes in flashes, drink water, stay still and switch to flash drive.

Water follows Salt.  Take your dips without the chips.

Water is the fountain of youth.

Read Liz’s daily Lizlines Monday through Thursday and enjoy the Frisky Friday Lizlimerick each and every week at www.bdyfrm.com.

Ms Liz is the owner of Body Firm Integrated Fitness Solutions.  She has developed the Bands In The Park work-out for indoors or outdoors and provides fitness consultations and complete, integrated online instruction.  Contact Liz for a consultation to receive practical, affordable nutrition and fitness assistance and access to over 60 exercises, useful recipes and lesson plans.