I don’t know about elsewhere in the region but here in Kuala Lumpur, the weather has been crazy hot! Temperatures are hitting 35.6 C in the daytime, and we are told to expect this heatwave to continue until September. Its now May – goodness gracious! Not only is it super hot, its also been very dry which is a lethal combination for me. I’ve been breaking out like popcorn popping – ew! 🙁
So with this heatwave that’s hitting us now and which is expected to continue for a few more months, here are 8 things I’ve put into place to keep cool and stay cool.
Wear Cotton or natural fibre clothes and white or light coloured clothing
Clothes made from cotton or natural fibre breathe better and help keep your body cool in the heat because they absorb moisture well and keep it away from your skin thereby cooling you down. Manmade fibres like nylon and rayon or polyester trap heat and can make you feel hotter. Its rather like being suffocated slowly in a plastic bag 😛
White and light colours reflect heat while black and dark colours absorb heat like a sponge and retain it. So, when its hot, wear light coloured clothing. I’ve never been so glad that I do not have a strict dress code at work so I can keep cool with light colours and light clothing as opposed to dark formal stuffy corporate suits – lucky me! 😛
Drink lots of water
In a heatwave more than ever, you need water… and lots of it! The body dehydrates faster when its hot so keep moisture levels up by regular glasses of plain water. Resist the urge to have cold sweet drinks, carbonated drinks or coffee or tea. Not only are these fattening due to the amount of sugar in them, anything with caffeine in it is a diuretic, drawing water out of your cells and dehydrating you faster. If you must have something cold, try ice water or ice herbal teas or freshly squeezed juice (not from packs or concentrate). I prefer NOT to drink cold drinks when its too hot because I find that it sometimes makes me feel warmer. Instead I just take water at room temperature. It feels easier on my tummy and I don’t get brain freeze. Ice cream actually does not help in sweltering heat because the action of burning up the fat in the cream heats you up more after eating it. So, a better option is frozen fruit juices or sorbets.
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