Dos and don'ts to stay fit this summer

The dreaded summer's here and it's time to take precautions and stay healthy. Dr Rajkumar Chaudhary, Honourary Secretary, Association of Hospitals, has these tips for you

Photograph: Schub@/Creative Commons

Dos...

Stay hydrated

With the summer heat beating down on you, you'll tend to sweat more than you do any other time of the year. To combat this and avoid feeling light-headed, dizzy, or lethargic, drink plenty of refreshing drinks. Stay away from coffee (including iced coffee), sodas, and sugary drinks as these will all conspire against you by actually dehydrating you. Focus on drinking plain water, low-calorie flavoured water, or low-sugar sports drinks packed with electrolytes.

Keep food refrigerated

Leaving food out in the open makes it a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria, and this is exacerbated with the summer heat. Where the general thumb rule for leaving food out is around two hours, once it's in the sun that limit dwindles down to a mere hour. Keep raw meat in an iced cooler; the same goes for potato salads, fish, and well, basically anything else "perishable" that you plan to eat!

Some more dos...

• Dress in lightweight, light-colored clothing
• Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic fluids
• Eat light, easy to digest foods
• Seek out shade if you have to be outdoors for extended periods
• Check in on elderly neighbours and relatives to make sure they are okay
• Seek medical attention if you experience symptoms of heat illness

Don'ts

Due to loss of water and sodium, people tend to drink juices or others beverages available outside, which can lead to infections

Don't stress yourself; have fun instead! Relax, and enjoy the weather. If you are on an outing to the beach, don't overload yourself. It's easy to remain stress-free if you avoid packing too much food that might go bad. For example, instead of bringing potato salad, try bringing baked potato chips. Remember to use sunscreen with high SPF, insect repellant, and stock up on ice in the cooler.

Dome more don'ts...

• Stay in the sun for long periods of time
• Take salt tablets unless directed by a physician
• Drink alcoholic beverages
• Enjoy the summer, bring the creative you and create some summer coolers that will keep you hydrated.