It’s our favorite time of the year – long and lazy days, lots of sunshine and warm nights. What better could you ask for? But even if the hot weather is too good to be true, don’t forget that exposure to extreme heat and direct sun may lead to sunburn or even sunstroke. For some, especially little babies, pregnant or breastfeeding women and older people, these may cause a serious illness or worse.

But do not worry! We want to make sure you have all the insider tips on how to avoid sun damage and sunstroke, and still get the most out of a hot summer day. Here are our top five tips on how to stay cool and healthy in the summer heat:

Stay Hydrated!

If you’re feeling thirsty and that your mouth is dry, your heart beats rapidly or you feel a little dizzy, then you’re already dehydrated. And think again before you’re going to reach for that nice and cooling, but incredibly sugary soda (yes, this also applies to sugar-free sodas!). They can actually have the opposite effect on your body. Plus, excess sugar intake will deplete your body from essential vitamins and minerals.

It is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily, but keep in mind that you will sweat when it’s hot outside, so keep the water flowing! In addition to water, vitamin water and sport drinks are also a useful way to combat extreme heat, because they’ll help your body restore vitamin levels. If you need a little flavor in your drink during a hot day, these are your go to drinks.

Tip: The color of your urine may tell you how hydrated or dehydrated you are. The darker the color, the more dehydrated you are. If you’re properly hydrated, the color of your urine will be a pale or a transparent yellow color. (Source)

Limit Coffee and Alcohol Intake

Think twice about how much coffee you’re going to drink in hot weather. Caffeinated drinks can flush out water that you’ve consumed. If you’d still like to enjoy your coffee or tea, have plenty of water with it to make sure you’re hydrated properly.

And what about a few cocktails by the pool or at the beach? The same applies here – alcohol flushes water out of your body (this is one of the most common causes of a hangover!). If you want to enjoy your occasional piña colada, make sure to drink water as well to avoid dehydration.

Protect Your Skin

Always, always, always use sunscreen. Even if it’s not sunny outside, you should still wear some level of sunscreen to prevent sunburn and sun damage to your skin. There are so many amazing natural products on the market that will protect your skin from sunburn and aren’t full of harmful chemicals. Even most of the liquid and powder foundations have SPF in it!

PS! Wearing sunglasses will help to protect your eyes from UV rays as well.

A great tip to determine what level sunscreen you should use, is to check the UV (ultraviolet) index before you head outside. When it’s especially hot weather, it might also mean that the UV index is higher than usual. The bigger the number of UV index, the higher risk you have to be harmed from unprotected sun exposure. We can’t stress enough how important it is to protect your skin from sun damage. Not only for preventing wrinkles and saggy skin, but also to prevent skin cancer.

Tip: Apply sunscreen every two hours or every time after swimming or showering.

Moreover, SPF won’t give you 100% protection from harmful UV rays. UV rays can damage your DNA which may lead to premature aging in cells and the development of harmful and even cancerous cells in your body.

A great way to internally protect your skin is to supplement with Olive Leaf Extract or Lycopene. Both of these supplements have antioxidant properties that help prevent DNA damage and support your immune system. Another supplement to support healthy and glowing skin is Biotin. This will also help make your hair and nails grow faster and stronger!

What to Wear?!

It is obvious that in extreme heat you don’t want to wear your finest merino sweater or the tightest pair of leather pants you own. Instead, prefer loose clothing made from natural materials like cotton and linen. This way you let your body breathe and can avoid excessive sweating, which in turn depletes your body from vitamins and flushes out water.

Furthermore, if you don’t want to expose your skin to any sun at all, even loose fitting long sleeved blouses and long pants made from natural materials can help you stay cool in hot weather. It is also useful to wear a summer hat to prevent sunstroke.

What About Exercise?

Need to get your workout in, but can’t imagine getting through with it on a hot day? Try to plan your workout time for early morning or later in the evening to avoid heat stroke. Vigorous exercise in heat may lead to dehydration. If you need to work out in hot weather, keep an even closer eye on your water intake.

To conclude, it is absolutely possible to get through a super hot summer day and not get sunburnt or even a heat stroke. Just make sure to stay safe and healthy, keep in mind to not go overboard with tanning or exercising and drink plenty of water throughout the day. What are your top tips for staying cool and healthy in hot weather? Let us know in the comment section!