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Five Paths to Hotness
Tips to Keep Your Cool
When It's Hot
Heat is a funny thing. Worshipped by
some, it's cursed by others. One time it's a beach lover's fantasy, another it's
a desert walker's nightmare. Ask a Bedouin about desert heat and you probably
won't get much of an answer. For them heat is a fact of life, neither good nor
bad. If you're a Bedouin, heat just is, and you learn to adapt to it. There are
five ways to get hot under the collar and suggestions to help you adapt to the
heat of the moment, wherever that might be:
- Air temperature? As the air
approaches and exceeds body temperature, it will act like a conventional
oven, cooking you slowly. There's not much you can do about it other than
seek pockets of cooler air, like in sheltered nooks among the rocks, in
caves, or near water.
- Conduction? Anyone who has
walked barefoot knows only too well that on a sunny day the ground's surface
can be like a hot stove--much hotter than the air temperature. This is
because anything directly exposed to the sun will absorb its radiated heat,
irrespective of the air temperature. To cool down, avoid ground that's been
exposed to the sun for a long time or dig underneath the surface.
- Radiation? When the sun
shines directly onto your skin, it is actively heating you up, no matter the
air temperature--it's like standing in a microwave oven. Just step out of
the sun into the shade, or wear a broad-brimmed hat and loose-fitting, light
colored clothing to stay cooler. In the high Andes you can broil in the sun
and shiver in the shade, inches away from each other.
- Convection? A breeze
normally cools you down because it evaporates your sweat more quickly. If
the wind is strong enough, however, it can turn a basic scorcher into a
blast furnace, dramatically accelerating moisture loss. Clothing can help to
reduce the effects of wind.
- Metabolism? As your body
functions, so it generates heat as a by-product. The more work you make your
body do, the more heat it puts forth. Want to cool down? Slow down! It's
worse if the outside temperature is not what you are used to. Your body
needs time to acclimatize if it is not used to being in hot environments. Go
easy until your body adjusts to its new environment--about one week or so.
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