Staying Cool in the Summer Heat

Our schools have started back where I live, but the summer heat continues, with temps in the mid-90s and humidity over 80%. Yeah, we’re burning up hot.

While it’s tempting to use the heat as an excuse to stay cool indoors, it’s good to get outside and work off stress. Toxins pour out of our cells when we sweat — which allows us more grace in our diet and daily routine. (So what if you ate a doughnut this morning — just sweat it off, OK?)

Remember to drink plenty of water — even more when you sweat. The latest standard for water intake is to drink half your body weight in fluids every day — caffeinated drinks don’t count. And juice and other flavored beverages may really add up if you’re trying to lose weight. So water is best. Squeeze in some lemon or lime juice to give it some flavor — and drink away. Half your body weight — that’s your secret!

According to Women Fitness, drinking water helps you lose weight because:

Water intake helps in flushing out toxins from the fat cells, which are stored in fat tissue and released into the bloodstream. In order to burn fat cells, the fat cells first will have to be free of excess water and toxins. The body will hold on to excess water for survival if adequate amounts of water [are] not supplied.

Ooh …. I don’t want my body to hold onto excess water — that would affect my weight loss if I’m dehydrated. OK … I’m going to refill my water bottle right now. How about you?