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Walking Safely in the Texas Summer Heat By Tex Volkswalker
Protect your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses. Pay a little extra to get
maximum UV protection for your eyes. To learn more about why you need to wear
a hat and protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays, visit the CDC's
Cancer Prevention and Control Web site. There is very good information here
for anyone who is an Sun screen should be your best friend. Apply it liberally and often. Visit EPA's SunWise Web site to learn ways you can protect yourself for the sun's harmful effects.
Have a walking partner, or at the very least make sure someone knows you're out on the trail., so if you don't return someone can go looking for you. Wear proper foot wear appropriate for the terrain where you will be walking. Read the brochure and know ahead of time what shoes and clothing you will need.
When you put on a walk make sure you have plenty of check points or water stops. No matter how many times you ask people to carry water, some of them will think it's macho to prove they can make it without enough water. Protect these people from their own stupidity and have plenty of water available. If you start to feel sick or nauseated stop, rest and cool down. As much as you want that next stamp in your book it will still be there even if it takes five or ten minutes longer then usual. Acclimate to the heat. Don't try and do four events on the first hot day of the year or if you're not used to walking in warm temperatures. Start out slowly with one easy walk and plenty of water and rest and work your way up until your comfortable walking in warmer temperatures. No matter what, never walk in the middle of the day in unsafe temperatures.
Keep an eye on the sidewalk or trail, especially when you are drinking. A rock or a crack can send you flying if you trip over it. Keep an eye on the ozone index and air quality. Even a healthy person can be effected by poor air quality. To learn more about ozone and air quality, visit the multi-agency AIRNow Web site. Be prepared for potentially violent weather. Even on a hot day, sever thunderstorms can pop up out of seemingly thin air. Local weather reports and The Weather Channel should be your best friend when you travel. Know your limitations. If the trail is rated a "4" or a "5" (difficult) you might want to seriously consider doing a less strenuous event if you haven't consistently exercising.
Carry and drink plenty of water. The most important ingredient for safe walking in hot weather is keeping your body well hydrated. Stay in shape. Even when you can't walk because of weather of time constraints make sure you continue some type of physical fitness program. Workouts at the gym or walking when you could be driving will go along ways toward insuring that you have the strength and stamina to help you walk and exercise in the warm weather of Texas.
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Do like I do and always wear a hat. The cowboys (the guys on horses,
not the football team) wear my kind of hat because it protects more of your
head, or panhandle in my case.
active volkssporter.
Avoid walking in the middle of the day. Start early in the morning so you can
finish before the temperatures begin to skyrocket, or late in the afternoon when
the sun is low in the western sky. Remember, it gets hotter as the day goes
by and cooler as the sun goes down and that the sun's UV rays are most dangerous
between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
