ANG INIT!!!! Not enough exclamation points can stress out the stress that comes with this scorching hot summer sun. Welcome to the Philippines’ sweat weather.
It’s hot when you go out of the house. It’s hot when you stay at home. It’s hot even when you’ve got three fans in front of you. It almost doesn’t matter if you’ve taken a bath three times or five times a day – it’s just always sooooo hot.
While we’re not all privileged to have a 24-hour air conditioning unit running at home (imagine the Meralco bill haaay), we’ve come up with 16 surefire ways to beat the summer heat. From food to eat and avoid, clothes to put back in the deep recesses of your closet, to places to avoid and even more keep cool tips for the sweaty angry you:
- Dip a washcloth in cold water and place it on your forehead, nape, ankles, wrists, or behind the knees.
- Eat summer fruits rich with water such as peaches, pears, oranges, watermelons, grapes, and the like.
- Eat smaller meals to help in your body’s natural cooling system. Bingeing on food, especially cold ones like ice cream and iced coffees can only increase your body’s core temperature.
- Include leafy greens, onions, cucumbers, and corn in your salad. These foods are also rich with water which provides a cooling effect on your body.
- Sip on green tea.
- Drink at least 10 glasses of water a day.
- Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks as caffeine acts as a diuretic, which reduces water in the body.
- Plan your cooking hours. As much as possible, avoid prolonged stay in the kitchen unless you’re holding the fridge door open.
- Wear loose light-colored clothes made of cotton to help your body breathe.
- If you have pets, try to bring them indoors or find a shady spot in your garden to help keep them away from the sun. Also leave bowls filled with water for them.
- Block the sun by using dark curtains on your windows.
- Turn off all lights in the house and unplug unnecessary electronics.
- Chill your mattress by placing your bed sheets in a plastic and into the freezer for about 20 minutes before going to bed.
- Your ceiling fan should be rotating counter-clockwise to help push cooler air down.
- Heat rises so if you have a three-storey house, stay downstairs to keep cool.
- Make your own air conditioning unit by placing frozen water bottles in front of your fans or with a bucket, styrofoam liner, pvc pipe, small fan, and ice. Check the video here:
There’s also another DIY air conditioner tutorial using an ice chest, pvc pipe, small fan, and ice (it can even be solar-powered):
When you really can’t take it, just pop into the shower for the nth time. You’d rather rake up those water bills than get stuck with an enormous Meralco bill come sweldo.
