MORE QUICK WAYS TO KEEP COOL WHAT NOT TO WEAR DRINK UP

Choose your clothes with care. Synthetic, clingy fabrics will leave you feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. Opt for natural fabrics such as cotton and linen that allow your skin to breathe. Invest in a couple of cotton summer dresses or trendy kaftans, and you’ll feel as light and carefree as a spring breeze. Don’t try to squeeze your hot, swollen feet into tight, closed shoes. Buy some flip flops.

BEAT THE HEAT WITH WHAT YOU EAT

Instead of snacking on sweet, doughy, salty and packaged foods such as doughnuts, chips and sweets that will only sap your energy and make you feel bloated – think fruit. Strawberries, watermelon, sweet peaches, crisp grapes and succulent mangoes will not only minimise your calorie count but, if eaten straight from the fridge, will help keep you cool. Freeze a kebab stick made of mango, apple, pineapple and pear, whip up a smoothie if you don’t feel like lunch, or have a homemade lolly made with yoghurt and liquidised fruit. Ask for a tall glass of iced water wherever you go.

The best way to keep your cool during summer is to drink fluids and stay hydrated. If you’re feeling thirsty, you’re probably a bit dehydrated already. Water’s the purest and best solution, but diluted fruit juices, milk and electrolyte-balancing sports drinks are just as effective. You need to strike a balance though, as an excessive, fast fluid intake can lead to water intoxication. In these extreme cases, a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function is the result of the normal balance of electrolytes in the body being pushed outside of safe limits. As a rule, stick to about 250ml of fluid for each hour you are outdoors in hot weather.

SKINCARE

Skin controls heat and sweating by opening or closing the blood vessels closest to the surface. Since the skin is nature’s way of helping the body lose heat, keep it cool with a spray bottle filled with cold water. A gentle shower of cooling mist can do wonders for sagging energy levels. A paper fan can be just as effective. Wear a minimal amount of make-up.