How to stay cool during the summer

Sophie Malahieude Special to the Village News

The summer months tend to be very hot and dry in Southern California. Heat accumulates and is absorbed by the earth and our oceans. Our bodies also absorb and accumulate heat.

Physically, we can experience heartburn, skin eruptions and sleep disturbance. Mentally, we can feel irritated, frustrated or competitive at the extreme.

Following are ways we can stay cool and peaceful with simple adjustments to the season:

Check you diet

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water with a slice of lime, lemon or cucumber, or drink coconut water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they are heating and dehydrating.

Eat raw and light and enjoy all the seasonal fruits and vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, kale, lettuce, celery, avocado, peach, strawberry, mangoes, watermelons, herbs like cilantro or mint, and beans. They will keep your system cool.

Avoid hot spices, spicy food, fried food and red meat.

Adjust your exercises practice

If you like to run, preferably do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Avoid lunchtime for any strong physical exercise, even if this is in an air-conditioned room. The thermal shock, as you leave the room will be intense on your body.

Practice cooling yoga poses like happy baby pose, forward fold, twists and seated postures.

Practice Sithali, a breathing exercise that cools the body and mind, by doing the following:

• Sit in a comfortable crossed legs position
• Roll the side of the tongue up to form a “tube”
• Inhale slowly through the “tube”, count to 4
• Close you mouth and exhale slowly through both nostrils, count to 6
• Repeat 5 to 10 times

Have fun

Days are longer. Enjoy all that the season has to offer – swimming, evening strolls, being in nature – but stay mindful of what is creating too much heat. Maybe enjoying a day at the beach means taking an umbrella, or taking a long cool bath to undo the heat of a workday.