5 Ways to COOL down this Summer!
/We’re in the heat of summer! Literally!
If you’re searching for some tips for staying COOL during the hot days, look no further!
1. Take a DIP
You’ve got OPTIONS. You may not think you’ve got options if you don’t have your very own swimming pool. But let me tell you, you’ve got options!
In Your Community: Find a Public Pool or Splash Pad
In the town I live, there is a mini waterpark (Splash Island) just a few miles away from my house. It’s at the Plainfield Recreation & Aquatic Center. I learned about it shortly after moving here. The first year we lived in Plainfield, I never went. But the last two summers, I’ve gone several times! Why not take advantage of a pool, lazy river and three water slides?! For only $5.50 admission! You bet I’m there! Especially on Resident Mondays, Wet Wednesdays and Endless Summer Nights. (They even have a DOG DAY on September 7th before they close for the season!)
Where I’m from in Hamilton, OH, there are TONS of splash pads throughout parks in the city. Where kids (or heck, even adults) can run through the water and cool down. Pack a picnic and make a day out of it!
A Short Drive Away: Creek / Lake / Beach / Waterpark
I have had SO much FUN recently finding outdoors activities near + in + on the water!
If you’re on a FREE IS FOR ME budget, take a walk with your pup down to a nearby creek. Wear shoes that can get wet. Bring a tennis ball and have a BLAST splish splashing through the rocky water.
If you have a SMALL BUDGET, look into a fun water activity like tubing, kayaking or canoeing on the water! I recently went tubing Turkey Run State Park. It was $10 to tube for a 3 mile journey. We had a BLAST! Next week, I’m going kayaking at Eagle Creek Park. There’s something so relaxing about being ON the water.
If your budget allows for a SPLURGE, what about a BIG WATERPARK?!? I have been dying to go to Holiday World! You could also take a mini road trip to a BEACH or the LAKE. That’s another place on my list for the summer….going to the Indiana National Dunes! (A beach trip doesn’t have to be in FLORIDA — unless of course you live near there!)
In Your Own Backyard: Sprinkler or Kiddie Pool
Just because you don’t have your own swimming pool, doesn’t mean you can’t make your own water fun! Set up a sprinkler! Buy a kiddie pool to dip your toes in! Blow up some water balloons! If you have kids, play in the water with them. If you don’t have kiddos, there’s no shame in embracing your inner child :)
Get creative!
If a kiddie pool seems too childish, get a pond liner! Seriously! I have a friend who bought one at Lowe’s this spring and I’m quite jealous of her makeshift wading pool. Or another idea you can steal — my friends took a trip to Texas and filled a hog troth with water for their own “hot" tub. They had a BLAST!
2. Make FROZEN Fruit
Have you ever have frozen GRAPES?
What about frozen WATERMELON?
If you haven’t tried these, you are missing out! They are the perfect sweet treat to cool down this summer (and they don’t have all the added sugars that popsicles do).
3. FAN yourself
I was shopping at Dick’s Sporting Goods a couple weekends ago and look what I found at the checkout counter! These fans that plug into your phone!!! I didn’t purchase one, so I don’t know the specifics (like how quick they drain your battery or how long they last). But I may have to go back and get one to find out! ($5.99)
Also, they sell RECHARGEABLE fans on Amazon. I was recently at Justin’s baseball tournament in Nashville and a Mama had this fan! It was great because she could use it to keep baby Wells cool. And when it started to die? We just plugged it into a battery pack!
Those not in your budget? Make a paper fan :) It all works the same!!! Just a little more man power!
4. Dress in SHORTS or a SUNDRESS or your SWIM SUIT
I know how it feels. You don’t want to wear shorts because you don’t want to show off the cellulite on your legs. You don’t want to wear a sundress because you fear people will see the tiger stripes on your arms. You won’t wear a swimsuit because you think everyone is going to judge you.
The way we talk about ourselves matters. You may have cellulite. You may have tiger stripes. You may have fat. But you are NOT those things. You are NOT cellulite. You are NOT tiger stripes. You are NOT fat.
You are BEAUTIFUL exactly how you are!
If you aren’t comfortable in your clothes, that’s one thing. Shop for clothes that FIT you. It makes ALL the difference. Get rid of those clothes from high school you’ve been holding onto for “when” you get back to that size. Add a couple pieces to your wardrobe that make you feel fabulous! You won’t regret it!
If you aren’t comfortable in your own skin, that’s another thing. You must change your mindset! Someone else’s opinion of you is NONE of your business. No one that matters is judging your body! Embrace your body. It’s given you so much life! Let’s appreciate what our bodies can do for us!
So how do you wear COOL clothes? You put them ON.
Put on the shorts. Put on the sundress. Put on the swimsuit. It’s that easy! No looking back!
5. Stay hydrated!
Hydration is KEY! Especially on those scorcher days.
The one item I have used every single day for the past two years? My 30 oz. YETI Tumbler. It’s LARGE. It keeps my water ICE COLD. It fits in my CUP HOLDER. I take it with me EVERYWHERE I go! It’s the GOAT.
YETIs are a great brand! But there are many off-brands that work just as well. Find a bottle that fits your needs. Keep it full of aqua + keep yourself hydrated!
PS - I’ve found I drink more if I sip from a straw!
PPS - Ditch the disposable plastic bottles, if you can! Reusable bottles are the way to go!
