Right now in most of the United States it’s rather hot. Las Vegas is in one of their hotter periods, with temperatures typically exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) on the edge of town and hitting 120 degrees (49 Celsius) in the city center.
If you work a day job, you’re probably fortunate, as you probably spend most of the day indoors in air conditioning. Even if the A/C can’t get the room to an ideal temperature, your conditions feel a lot better than the heat outside or non-A/C indoor conditions. Your only issue is dealing with still-hot conditions after 4-5pm, or if you don’t have climate controlled sleeping conditions to deal with still-warm nightfall.
For everyone else, dealing with the extreme midday heat is a problem. I got to deal with the midday heat quite a bit thanks to a non-traditional work schedule. If you don’t have ideal A/C conditions, here are three things you can do to mitigate the effects.
- Go to the gym in the middle of the day. Most gyms are well air conditioned, and while exercise will heat you up and make you sweat more… the conditions of the gym make this an ideal location to get some exercise in. Obviously, if you’re feeling worn out from the heat, you probably shouldn’t go all out in the gym. But I’ve found even when weary from midday hot weather, I can still get in a full strength workout. And I certainly take my time cooling down (in more ways than one!).
- Cold water in the fridge, dosed every hour or so: If you don’t already, put a bottle of drinking water in your fridge. Every hour or so, or whenever the heat is rather unbearable, take it out and have a cup or so. You’re not just doing this to rehydrate after sweating and the heat, but you’re also slightly adjust the temperature in your body by introducing some cold liquid.
- Take a nap. If you can manage to doze off in hot conditions, the mid-afternoon is a good time to take a bit of a nap and catch up on some extra sleep and recovery. I’m of course assuming you have nowhere to be and no pressing responsibilities. Obviously, don’t sleep through anything! But if you have most or all of the day to yourself, go ahead and try to sleep off these hot hours before things cool down a bit.