What to do?
- Aim for a minimum of 64 oz fluids (mostly water) daily.
- Drink fluids even if you do not feel thirsty.
- Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol.
- Make sure your animals have adequate water and shade.
- Be sure to eat small meals and eat more frequently to stay nourished - often with extreme heat, people will mention decrease in appetite.
- Wear light weight and light colored clothing instead of dark colors that absorb the sun's rays.
- Check on your family/friends/coworkers/neighbors.
- Be aware of the temperature as well as the heat index, which can increase in direct sunlight by 15 degrees.
Do not ignore signs of heat-related conditions as these can be life-threatening. Check out the American Red Cross for more information of recognizing and responding these emergencies.
Flavoring water?
- Flavor it yourself to control ingredients while avoiding chemicals and added sugar.
- Thirst quenching, nutritious, and easy.
- Flavor water with fresh fruit - enhance taste and replace electrolytes.
- Slice lemons, limes, oranges, cucumber.
- Simply squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon or limes.
- Toss in a handful of berries.
- Add herbs and spices
- Mint, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, ginger.
- Examples:
- sliced cucumber + sliced lime + fresh mint leaves
- sliced strawberries + sliced lemon + fresh basil leaves
- Place ingredients at the bottom of a glass jar and mash up the fruit with a wooden spoon, then add water.
- Have fun creating your own combinations of flavored water!