Summer Tips to Stay Cool in a Heatwave
Having Lymphedema in summer can bring its challenges and when there is a heatwave, it can feel extra challenging!
Here are some tips and resources to help you beat the heat and quell the swell. They have helped me as a lymphie get through summer and I hope they help you too!
TOP LIFESTYLE TIPS:
Align your movement with a cooler part of the day - early morning or evening walk after dinner. Enjoy vigorous workouts in a cooler environment (A/C gym, or studio), or cooler part of hte day. Skip a sweaty workout late in the day/evening if you can.
Stay hydrated - inside - Add berries, cucumber, mint, hibiscus and limes to your water to add electrolytes and enjoy the cooling sensations these plants can provide you! Check out my Hibiscus Tea recipe - serve over ice of a cool down!
Eat seasonal fruits & veggies - berries, greens, cucumbers re cooling. Check out my chilled chia pudding recipe, and Strawberry summer salad - tasty and great for our lymphatics!
Get WET! Literally get wet with a cold or cooling shower, or end your shower on cold for a few seconds and you will be surprised how long the cooling effect lasts. I do this on a hot day first thing in the morning before I put my garments on and it helps. You can also walk through a sprinkler, splash park, bring a water spritzer bottle with you.
Dry brush your skin in the morning before you put on your garments. It helps, really!
Wear cooling fabric, flowing shirts & pants that have space between your garments and the fabric to allow air to move around. Flaunt that compression with some shorts and t-shirts or dresses! Why hide when you are born to be noticed?!
For more lifestyle tips, check out my top 10 tips for lymphedema and summer care on the Bauerfeind blog.
COOLING YOGA POSES for you to try!
How we move can help us cool our bodies too. Some of my favourite ways are gentle long walks after dinner, or making sure I get some water time at a pool if I can squeeze it into my day, or I hop into a cold shower when I get home from work.
Can yoga help us cool our bodies? Yep!
Sun salutation are energizing and heating. The opposite are poses aligned with the moon energy and are cooling and calming for the body. Poses such as:
Triangle pose,
Crescent warrior or
Low lunge,
Extended Childs pose,
Legs up the wall, open up the body, compress key lymph zones to help flush the fluid upwards back towards the heart.
Forward folds, Twists and Side bends help flush our abdominal area to relieve any swelling that has accumulated in our body from the excess heat.
