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What are your tactics for remaining productive when it’s hot

 
pollinator
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Side note: I’m a Brit who has messed up units. I can switch between both except temperature and then I’m a Celsius guy. So for those who use fahrenheit:

25’C = 77’f
30’C = 86’f
35’C = 95’f

It’s now been roughly 30’C every day for three months, some days as high as 35’C. I’m living without A/C and using every trick I know to keep the house cool. Long term, I’m going for solar, heat pumps, mini splits, vines, shutters, attic fan, trees and sails . . . My productivity is way down. I’m a cold climate person and long for winter. At the moment, I’m making most of the early morning cool but by nine, I’m done. I was working in my basement after that, but now that’s even getting too warm. So what are your tactics for remaining productive when it’s hot?  

Foot note:

I lived in the tropics for 6 years, 90 odd miles form the equator. (See, messed up, that’s roughly 150km).
When I arrived the heat and humidity hit me like a wall. I had left the UK where it was just above freezing after an unusually long and snowy winter.

I was living in Singapore where there’s 12 hours of day light from 7am to 7pm, every day of the year. It’s hot and damn hot. It very rarely drops below 25’C at night and is typically in the low 30’s during the day, the damn hot days being 35’C. It never officially goes above that but as all Permies know, there are micro climates so reflected heat, direct sun and heat stored in concrete can boost the temperature.

After six months I had acclimatised. This is a real thing. Your blood thins and your sweat pores really open up. (It might sound gross but when your pores are active everyday, there’s no BO or other nasty side effects, and everyone is in the same situation unless you live in an A/C bubble.) We lived for six years with doors and windows open 24/7 with little difference between inside and out.

When we moved to The States, we quickly lost that acclimatisation and my body reminded me I was northern European and my ancestors had survived hundreds of generations by building fat over the winter and relying on bodily insulation - well that’s what I tell myself and the reason I’m 10kg heavier. (Yup - I work in kg, so that’s 22lbs.)

We rented, fully HVAC’s house which had one floor built into the attic with minimal insulation. It makes me feel sad when I reflect on how much C02 we must have generated.

I hadn’t appreciated how long and hot the summers in NJ / NY are. I should have realised though as I’m living as far south as Madrid in Spain. So the summers are Mediterranean and the winters Scandinavian.  



Indoor / outdoor living, our dining room and sitting room in Singapore


November last year - soooo looking forward to some of this
 
pollinator
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I lived in a place where it was around 40° C for about 8 months of the year. The short answer is you don't remain productive. Definitely, the people in really hot places are less productive, and I don't blame them at all. I marvel that there ever even developed large populations in the tropics.  I stuck it out 3 and a half years, then I had to move back up the mountain.
The way you get things done is you get up early and or stay up late, and sleep/lounge in the middle of the day. The dilemma for me was always--it's nice and cool at 6 am, so do I get up and get things done? or enjoy the fact it's cool enough to stand to be covered by a sheet?
I also had a tap, where the water was stored underground. This water was cool--the taps in the house mostly delivered warm water as they travelled over the roof to their destinations in the house.  So I'd do something. Then dump a bucket of cool water over me. Then I'd do the next task, then dump another bucket of cool water over me. But mostly I could only accomplish three things a day then I was spent.


Edited to Add:
By the way, I'm from the US midwest where we have both very hot and humid and very cold and rarely anything in between. My husband is from the Mexican mountains. My body acclimated as you mentioned. I sweat tons--but it didn't smell, and drank tons, my skin was glowing and healthy. My Mexican husband never acclimated, he developed chronic kidney problems because his body couldn't adapt to not hanging on to liquids as it did in the dry mountain climate he's from. Our children's skin couldn't adapt and especially the youngest was constantly covered in heat rash.
 
pollinator
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Edward Norton wrote: ......So what are your tactics for remaining productive when it’s hot?  



I/we don't. :-)

Both wife and I are of northern European stock and can operate for pretty long hours between -10C and 25C.  Outside of those ranges starts to get rough.  The geography of the north central plains states dictates that cold winter air drops out of the north from Canada, but the summers are hot and the humidity comes all the way up from the gulf of Mexico, not to mention the locally-generated humidity from dense cropland.  And we don't even need to talk about the bugs! So mid-summer is nearly out completely for any productive work.....garden is in before the middle of June and weeding is minimal, even if needed.  The end of August begins to see more activity out of us and September and October are very busy with the first frosts (bugs are gone!) harvesting and processing food, getting animal shelters winterized, getting firewood cut and in place, and with such nice weather (and families in 'back to school' mode) a favorite time to hit local lakes for kayaking and color viewing.  By the time the first good snows arrive, we are more than spent on projects and welcome being shut down for outdoor activities by the weather.  Several good weeks still available for doing projects under barn and garage roofs if it's a mild late Fall.
 
rocket scientist
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Hi Ed;
My tactic is to get up and head outside as soon as it is light enough to see, 5:30-6 am.
Work diligently as long as the heat allows.   Some days it is noon other days it's 2:30.
Then, I go inside and stay out of the sun. At that point, my productivity is limited to permies.
Here in the western mountains when it's hot, temps are running 90-100F during the day however humidity is low at 20-30%. (I HATE HIGH HUMIDITY!)
Because of the high mountains, each night we are blessed with cooling air dropping down from 6000', by morning it is generally in the 50-60F range with humidity up to 50% or so.
All doors and windows are open all night bringing the house down to the low 60s.  Our home sits on the west side of a north-south ridge. We do not get direct sun until after 9 am.  Around 8:30 each day the house gets shut down. The ceiling fan goes on low and as the sun progresses west outdoor curtains are lowered over the windows.   Some days we use a portable swamp cooler indoors to mitigate the rising heat.
Despite all that by 6-7 in the evening it is just hot indoors 80F+ and still hot outdoors, We have unlimited southern and western exposure the sun shines on the house until it sets at 9-10 pm.  This is a wonderful thing in the winter... sucks during the summer heat!
In a few more weeks hot temps will be gone and fall temps will arrive! I just looked at the extended forecast and by next week we may have morning temps in the 45F range!  YA HOO!  Thank goodness winter is coming!
 
master gardener
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Honestly, I stop even being able to think much-above about 25C. My foremost tactic involves moving to northern Minnesota (it was a real mistake not being born Icelandic). After that, When it's going to be a hot day, I do my outdoor work early. This is handy because the sun rises early in the summer and I'm a morning person (left to my own devices, I sleep roughly 2100-0400). Then, when it gets hot, I just crawl into the basement and lie on our slate floor and wait for the hell to end.

(Actually, we just installed AC this year and have turned it on five days. Mostly we're just careful about when to open and close windows to refresh and retain cool air inside our log home.)
 
pollinator
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Yeah, work early and then evening chores.   Not a fan of high heat/humidity and I stay out of the sun.   Institute systems that don't require a lot of physical input during the hottest months (shade, mulch, less frequent deep watering- subsoil preferably so it's not wasted and lasts longer).  Hydrate and work indoors for the middle part of the day.  
 
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I've never liked it, and now the heat takes way more out of me.
I make certain to douse my head with cold water, I drink every time I even think about it, and I just bought an evaporative cooling vest.
I've only worn the vest once , so I'm not sure how well it works.

When I worked on an open dock moving freight, I would keep a bag of ice tucked in my crotch, which was brutal but effective.
White painters overalls are my favorite way to keep the waist and groin cool and breezy.
Shade, in the form of hats, trees or strung up tarps  is always worthwhile.
 
Rusticator
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Outside gets limited to early & late work. The remainder of my hot weather productivity comes indoors. So, in between early & late, I'm in the kitchen, turning our goat milk into ice cream, yogurt, cheese, or kefir, or prepping fruits to make jams, jellies, & preserve, to can, in the evening. Or, I might be prepping fruits, veggies, or meats for the dehydrator, or doing fiber work, cleaning house, or just taking a cue from our Central American friends, who opt for the mid-day siesta.
 
master steward
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In southern Illinois 100 degree F temps are not unusual, but humidity is the real issue.   I get up early, take an afternoon nap, and stay up later during the rough months of summer. What I have not fully adjusted to is that brief period that comes every summer where the temperature spikes, heavy rains come, and weeds take over the garden.
 
Edward Norton
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I loved reading all your replies over lunch. I’ve just come in from digging holes in rock hard dirt in full midday sun . . . . Sometimes my own stupidity overwhelms me . . . I’ve been doing this all wrong! I thought I was a lateral thinker but I hadn’t figured out what you’ve all been doing.

I’m typically awake by 4am and in bed by 9pm, so I can definitely work to Chris’ schedule. I’ve been doing all my household admin before breakfast and then pottering around in the kitchen getting the family ready for the day. I quite often spend the morning prepping food, planning, writing lists and doing chores or running errands. This is all stuff I can do when it’s hotter. I really like the idea of a nap in the afternoon as my energy levels around 3 have really tanked.

I think I need to work on changing my cultural legacy as a Brit. I’ve always got more done outside in the summer but the UK summer was brief and mild compared with what I’m experiencing here. Cheers folks!
 
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1. Siesta. Take a siesta in the heat of the day. There is a reason nearly every hot place in the world takes time off in the middle of the day. It is only in air conditioned cities that people work at a desk straight through.

2. If possible jump in the pond or the pool or the shower fully clothed in long sleeves and long pants before starting your outdoor projects. Just wear your soaking wet clothes wherever you go outside, doing your various tasks. This will keep you cool and the long sleeves protect you from sunburn.

3. Wear a hat that shades your face and neck

4. If possible, do your work in the shade. Last year I added a roof rack to my truck on a summer day, and it took about 90 minutes, so I drove the truck under a tree and did it there.  (I believe 90 minutes converts to 35 minute-grams in the metric system. I could be doing it wrong though).

5. Drink tons of water, whether it is gallons, liters, tons or metric tons shouldn't make much difference.

I have done this stuff in the Sahara desert, south America and North America. You still get hot, but these things mitigate it.
 
John Weiland
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Edward Norton wrote:.....

I think I need to work on changing my cultural legacy as a Brit. ....



Does this mean we have to give up the Noel Coward line:  "Mad dogs and Englishmen Go out in the midday sun...." ?

:-)
 
pollinator
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Aside from the obvious shift to outdoor labor moving to dawn and dust, I also find that the cooling neck cloths really do work wonders. So does coming inside and taking a break by laying on the cold basement floor! Knowing yourself is important and regularly asking "am I starting to get loopy?" "am I powering through to finish something when I should really take a cool-down break?"
 
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A big glass of Switchel
 
Heather Staas
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Exactly Edward!  Switch all that stuff to midday tasks instead.

We get up around 5am and go straight outside;  dogs exercise,  I tend to the gardens,  feed and water critters, make sure they are set up for the heat..  putter around with my coffee and do yardwork,  etc.     On my days off I'm back inside by about 11am latest.   THEN I do dishes, start laundry, organize,  write shopping lists, do bills and budgeting.. indoor housework type stuff.  

By about 4pm we are back outside again, my yard is all shade by then.   Hang laundry out,  evening repeat of animal chores, play frisbee with the dogs, grill dinner outside,  more garden puttering.   Wrap things up by about 7pm and then do prep work for the next day and settle down with a good book until lights out time.  
 
pollinator
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I used to hate the heat, but as I get older I find I want more and more of it. I actually have a hard time getting going in the mornings these days, with the temperature anywhere from 10-18C first thing. I put on thick socks and sweatpants and just want to go back to bed. It seems like I'm most productive in the 33-37° range. I used to complain if it got much over 20.

The main thing that helps me is just embracing the sweat. I drink up to 8L of water in a day, eat lots of juicy stuff like cucumber, and sweat like mad. I wear a big straw hat to keep the sun off my head and face, but other than that I wear very little clothing - short shorts or a mini skirt and a sports bra is usually all I have on. Then the sweat cools my skin better. My husband likes the wet clothing tactic. He rewets his shirt a few times a day from the rain barrels.

I definitely slow down when it's humid, though. Sweat doesn't work so well anymore.

Just a warning about those neck coolers. They can actually cause you to get heat stroke cause the blood going to your brain is cooler than the blood in the rest of your body. Your brain figures everything is fine, doesn't do all the cooling things it's supposed to, and your body gets too hot. My husband's former boss ended up in hospital one time, and the staff there told him it was probably the neck cooler. Apparently they see it a fair amount, I think mostly in people working or spending all day at the beach or on the boat. If you're just sitting around in your house trying to stay cool, it's probably not an issue.
 
pollinator
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Hydration. If you let yourself get thirsty, you haven't been drinking enough. If you aren't peeing, you are not drinking enough. Sure, you are saving time not making trips to the bathroom...that's not the same as productivity.
Food. Enough of the right stuff, especially things you are sweating/peeing out (salt, potassium), and fuel enough to last you until break time.
Long clothes or sunscreen. Sunburn is a bit like dehydration for the skin. It will wear you down while it happens, then the following days recovering are miserable and even more unproductive.
Timing - for coolth and shade. Do what's in full sun at dawn or twilight, follow natural shade throughout the day or make your own. Work outdoors when it's coolest, move indoors when it gets hot.
Planning. FITFO ahead of time, supplies, tools, wardrobe, meals... don't waste the coolest hour(s) of the day not doing the work! Do the "support tasks" at times not suitable for the work.
Be honest. There are limits. It's 85*F and we're not 18 years old. Slow down, take breaks, haul lighter loads, put off what can be done later (it will cool down sometime).
 
Heather Staas
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Lol,  I couldn't stop thinking about this thread when I went home yesterday!   Whenever I talked about not working in high heat/humidity I had so many snarky comments about "well you better get used to it if you want to be a farmer..."   It used to make me REALLY mad!    Now I just feel sorry for the mindset that doesn't let people solve serious problems by outside the box thinking and design strategies.   You have to just keep on suffering because that's "how it's done/always been done."    Observe, Adjust, Adapt, Improve!
 
Edward Norton
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I’m loving this conversation too. Never heard of switchel before. My go to rehydration drink is water with a dash of sea salt and ACV.

Some days it feels like a scene in Pitch Black when the sun appears over the roof tops. (Apologies, early Vin Diesel movie reference there.)

I like the idea of rigging up an outside shower (there’s a Badge Bit for that).

I definitely need a hat.

I’ve switch routines, so now heading outside with coffee and getting to work before breakfast. I get a couple of hours done before the sun appears. My canvas tarp arrives tomorrow, so that should help extend the amount of time I can work outside.
 
pollinator
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Cold drinking water.
Siestas
Sunglasses (finally figured out some of my discomfort on hot days was the bright light).
Dry shirts, 3-4 a day if needed. I don’t find being wet and sticky is any help when the humidity is 70-80%+.
Plant trees, just about any part of our property is shaded at some point of the day.  I am really looking forward to our silvopasture maturing.  Sure is nice to stand in shade that you planted!
 
master steward
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I like the idea of an outdoor shower because if I'm mostly just trying to cool off and choose my building method and design well, it should double as watering my garden. My gardens tend to be spread out a lot due to sun and deer issues, but maybe that just means I need two outdoor showers! Now that #2 Son's working full time and biking to work, he's showering every day. We'll have to discuss what he'd be willing to accept? Would slightly sun warmed water do the trick or not...
 
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Heather Staas wrote:Yeah, work early and then evening chores.   Not a fan of high heat/humidity and I stay out of the sun.   Institute systems that don't require a lot of physical input during the hottest months (shade, mulch, less frequent deep watering- subsoil preferably so it's not wasted and lasts longer).  Hydrate and work indoors for the middle part of the day.  



I have never been great in the heat and I get only wimpier about it with age (also with cold, but not as much).    If/when I feel like I need to "be productive" I definitely do the early/late thing and let a siesta (reading, doing handwork, napping) take care of the hot mid-day hours.

Being in a very dry climate, a little evaporation goes a long way.  I can spray the bottom branches on a shade tree  once the sun gets low in the sky and get a 10f decrease right away sometimes... starting "the evening" early.   I can also do a quick shower most anytime and even soaking in my clawfoot tub in "temperate" water is a great way to get some reading done mid-day.  

My house is an owner-built post-beam/balloon-framed stucco but with pretty thick (insulated) walls, great ventilation and good coupling to the ground.  At relatively high-altitude and low humidity, nighttime radiative cooling is really good.   Careful ventilation management goes a long way to keeping inside temps under 80f even in the semi-regular 100f days we sometimes get.  A true adobe would do even better.

The hardest thing for me about heat is that my motivation goes downhill quickly as I heat up.   Fortunately I am choosing to "age my aspirations into my abilities"...  

Discussing DIY "gatorade"... I used to be always drawn to salt when I got the least bit overheated.  I *loved* to sprinkle salt over the ice in icewater, etc.    I finally learned from someone that this was likely simply "low electrolytes" (salt being an electrolyte) and to try manganese and pottasium supplements.   I bought some manganese/trace-mineral drops and then added  a shaker of "salt-substitute" which is potassium chloride.  I found that if I used those when I would have added salt to my water (or imbibed in salty chips/nuts, etc) I got immediate relief.   So now, I keep a liter bottle of home-made kombucha with a squirt of minerals and a dash of potassium chloride going all day and it really makes a difference for me in many ways.     I'm also a big fan of (weak) refrigerator tea...  sometimes a handful of mint leaves, sometimes a few teabags... when I pour a glass, I replace it with well water and "viola" I only have to let it go empty, clean and restart with fresh mint/tea every few days.
 
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Hi, I like a lot of the ideas, especially the outdoor shower. My friend has a diseases which is heat intolerant and is not pleasent for her. It exacerbates the condition. When working outside I have been told by my friend that she uses various products.  Cooling Vests with ice packs, some days vest with water absorbing crystals, wrist wraps, and headgear.    It depends on the temperature and humidity.    A search for cooling vest on line may let you can find something.  I have used different things and have been able to stay out in the sun longer.
 
pollinator
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My tactic is a mixture of what some people have already mentioned on this thread.

For a start my house has very thick stone walls, and every windows has wooden shutters. The roof is well insulated.  it is South facing but we are blessed with a gigantic linden tree in front of it, that provides shade throughout the day.  So the house stays very cool with no need for AC.  Shutters make an incredible difference summer or winter, that is why most houses in western Europe have them, not just for decoration.  When I first got to the UK, I was flabbergasted that people could live without them, and amused to see fake ones on pretty cottages!

Anyway, windows are open all night long and doors opened at the crack of dawn to let the freshness in.  By 9 am, everything is closed and the glass doors that do not have shutters have a thick insulating curtain that will be drawn too.

I get up at dawn, which is getting later and later at this time of year and work until the heat drives me indoors.  The time will vary from one day to another.  During that time I drink a lot of water.

After lunch, I'll have a siesta, then depending on the needs, will work indoors, anything from laundry to preserving food.  That is also the time I will check my e-mail, check on permies, etc,

Sometimes it is too hot to go out again until 8pm, maybe earlier if in the shade.  I work until dark.

We've had temperature of 42C and no rain for months.  If this becomes a new thing every summer, we intend to paint our roof white.  The lime stone walls are already pale cream .  It will help to reflect the heat off.  A lot of houses in Greece, Spain, etc, are painted white for that very reason.


 
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I'm one who feels my life force oozing out of my body when the heat and humidity hit. I also have a chronic illness that is exacerbated by heat so I don't try to be THAT productive, but I do feel like getting my feet into some cold water seems to bring me back to life for a while. Even if I am just rinsing them off for 10 seconds... or a quick soak in a bucket.
I grew up in Atlanta in a little cinderblock shoebox with a flat tar roof and no AC. The roof was a sieve, so once the landlords replaced it with a little hip roof, they also installed an exhaust fan in the "attic" so at night we would crack the bedroom windows a few inches (you can go ahead a fling them wide open if you don't live in a place where that will provide ingress to scaries) and turn on the exhaust fan. Even though it doesn't get what you call "cool" at night there, it made sleeping more comfortable by magnitudes! So then you aren't as exhausted from turning the pillow over for the cool spot all night and can be more productive in the heat the next day
 
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Sounds like everyone has covered it all already...

But I'd like to add to be sure to do the permaculture thing and plant appropriate, useful plants in/around your outdoor shower.

Something like the herb plantain comes to mind.  It likes water but can stand a few dry days, for example.

Here in the tropics, bananas are used a lot for that...but I don't get enough water for that where I am.  However, katuk (aka sweet leaf, Sauropus androgynous), ginger/heliconia family plants (including turmeric), purslane, and a volunteer cherry tomato like those conditions.

Not papaya, however...it will die if its feet stay wet, which may happen, depending on your soil conditions.

Of course, this also assumes you have a climate/zone that will tolerate some of these tropical or subtropical plants.

Find something that works for you.  Let that water cool you and promote plant growth too.

Dontcha just LOVE permaculture thinking?  
 
Gray Henon
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Y’all missed one!

Pay and/or bribe teenagers to work for you!
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Burn Pile
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Matt Todd wrote:... Knowing yourself is important and regularly asking "am I starting to get loopy?"


It took me awhile to realize this is the first symptom for me. Probably couldn't recognize it cuz...I was getting loopy? Now when I can't finish a two-step task, or am wandering around trying to *remember* what the next step/task/current purpose was, I know it's time to take immediate cooling measures, as quickly as I can while going v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y.
"Ice scarves" help delay my reaching that moment, but if the heat/humidity combo is high enough, nothing else works but finding refuge in a cool space.
eta:

Mercy Pergande wrote:I'm one who feels my life force oozing out of my body when the heat and humidity hit. I also have a chronic illness that is exacerbated by heat... I do feel like getting my feet into some cold water seems to bring me back to life for a while. Even if I am just rinsing them off for 10 seconds... or a quick soak in a bucket.


Me too re life force melting and oozing away. Thanks for the cold footbath tip, I'll add that to my cooling "toolbox"!
 
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Excellent question, Edward. I love this discussion.

I live where our summers are typically in the 35’C / 95’F category with high humidity. I actually find that living without air conditioning helps rather than hinders, because there's less of a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, which means there's no shock to my system as I'm in and out of the house. Anytime I have to go into an A/C'd building, going back outside absolutely wilts me, and my energy is drained for the rest of the day.

I think too, that my definition of productivity changes according to the season. We have our basic infrastructure done now, so our projects and chores are seasonal. In summer, I'm out in the garden before it gets too hot, and then spend the rest of the day in the house doing preservation activities and making cheese. I have a summer kitchen on the back porch, which helps keeps canning heat out of the house. The house is still warm (compared to A/C'd houses), but again, working this way is produces less thermal shock to my system and I can maintain my energy level better. Dan too, switches to projects he can do in the shade or his workshop in the afternoon. We both drink a lot of water and switchel, and take the time for sit-down breaks.

There's always more to do than time to do it in, so we just take it one project at a time, one step at a time. Eventually, we get it done and come out the other side.
 
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We live in West Texas where during the any day e Celt winter the temps can go to 110F with not much rain or cooling off!
We work outside during the cooler temps which is usually still hovering g around 75-85 degrees still. However with the no massive sun beating down on you early in the morning it’s totally doable.

I wear white yes I said it white long sleeved thi g shirts believe it or not it helps me stay cool even in direct sun!
Dri k tons of ice water and pace yourself.
Make a plan of what has to happen everyday so the night before you know exactly what needs to be done.

My husband works out of the house everyday in the heat and he has to wear long sleeves as well and it gets rough-key is drink water and pacing your body .
 
Anne Miller
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Sorry if this has been mentioned as I have not read the whole thread, yet.

Something I learned from my grandparents was to put clothing in the fridge so that the clothes will help cool the person when the clothes are put on. This tip is from the days before air conditioning.

Many restaurants use a misting system so that their customers can enjoy the patio area.

Wearing white clothing and big brim hats when outdoors also helps.
 
Anne Miller
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Tracy Romero wrote:We live in West Texas where during the any day e Celt winter the temps can go to 110F with not much rain or cooling off!



West Texas is a very big place.  My mailbox is in West Texas and we own more than 200 acres in West Texas.

We saw temperatures as high as 110F this summer though never anything like that in winter.

What general area of West Texas are you in so I will be sure and stay away during the winter?  The West part of West Texas? Or South West part of West Texas?  Just a general area, please.
 
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  • Eat a Summer/Pitta/Choleric balancing diet.
  • Reduce consumption of hard to digest foods as the body generates heat for that.
  • Stay hydrated, but don't drink with a meal, as it dilutes stomach acid.
  • Meditate/do alternative nostril breathing.
  • Practice fasting in the Spring to burn fat and cleanse the lymphatic system so that body is ready for Summer.
  •  
    Olga Booker
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    Eat a Summer/Pitta/Choleric balancing diet.
    Reduce consumption of hard to digest foods as the body generates heat for that.
    Stay hydrated, but don't drink with a meal, as it dilutes stomach acid.
    Meditate/do alternative nostril breathing.
    Practice fasting in the Spring to burn fat and cleanse the lymphatic system so that body is ready for Summer.



    Hi Jonathan,
    Is your list something that you do or something that you think anyone "should" do?  I am a bit ignorant, could you tell me was is a Pitta balancing diet? Thanks
     
    Jonathan Mayer
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    Olga Booker wrote:Is your list something that you do or something that you think anyone "should" do?


    Both.

    Olga Booker wrote:  I am a bit ignorant, could you tell me was is a Pitta balancing diet?


    Pitta is a dosha/temperament in Ayurvedic medicine, equivalent to a Choleric temperament in Traditional Greek/Western Medicine. A Pitta-balancing diet means you eat foods that balance Pitta dosha.
     
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    People can eat whatever they want, obviously. But all food creates heat/energy, that's what a calorie measures.

    Personally, I don't do hard labor if it's above 70F. I have different activities that I do at different times of day. In the hot season, I work outside from 6-10 in the morning, everything else is in the house. In the cold season, it goes the other way.
     
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    Stacy Witscher wrote:But all food creates heat/energy, that's what a calorie measures.


    Not all calories are created equal. Foods that produce free radicals makes your mitochondria less efficient and generates more heat for the same amount of calories. Clogging the lymphatic system is analagous to dowsing oneself in oil.
     
    Olga Booker
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    Gee! Thanks Jonathan for clarifying this!

    In my dumb ignorance I thought you were talking about the Pitta bread diet!!  You know, flat bread filled with houmous, falafel, crunchy fresh salad, topped up with yogurt and tahini sauce with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, yum!  I must admit that like in most of the hot middle east countries who enjoys this simple meal, I am also quite partial to it when it is too hot outside to cook!

     
    Carla Burke
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    Olga Booker wrote:Gee! Thanks Jonathan for clarifying this!

    In my dumb ignorance I thought you were talking about the Pitta bread diet!!  You know, flat bread filled with houmous, falafel, crunchy fresh salad, topped up with yogurt and tahini sauce with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, yum!  I must admit that like in most of the hot middle east countries who enjoys this simple meal, I am also quite partial to it when it is too hot outside to cook!



    Ah! The difference is in the spelling. Pitta is one of the doshas, while pita is the bread so often eaten with hummus.
     
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