We had a taste of the heat last weekend, didn’t we?   If you went to the fabulous art festival in downtown Des Moines, you know just how good it felt to retreat back to the inside after a couple of sweat drenching hours outside. 

There is something glorious about cooling down, isn’t there?  In preparation for the heat to come, I found a few interesting ways to keep it cool for the summer.

Take Your Vitamin C

Keeping cool might be as easy as taking your vitamins.    There has been reseach that shows that vitamin c helps keep your body temperature from rising from heat exposure.   Cool, right?  

We had a taste of the heat last weekend, didn’t we?   If you went to the fabulous art festival in downtown Des Moines, you know just how good it felt to retreat back to the inside after a couple of sweat drenching hours outside. 

There is something glorious about cooling down, isn’t there?  In preparation for the heat to come, I found a few interesting ways to keep it cool for the summer.

Take Your Vitamin C

Keeping cool might be as easy as taking your vitamins.    There has been reseach that shows that vitamin c helps keep your body temperature from rising from heat exposure.   Cool, right?  

  

Tip: Eat Spicy Food

Well that just seems like something one wouldn’t do in the heat!   But there is a reason that spicy food is popular in hotter climates.   Eating spicy food is actually a great way to stay cool. When your mouth is hot, hot, hot...our brains tell us that we are overheated which in turn makes us sweat.   And thus the sweat on your skin from eating spicy food in turn cools us down! A genius way to cool down when its hot outside. Sounds like a spicy meal at Wasabi Waukee to me!

Keep it Cool by Switching Scents

All scents are not equal in your home.  Hot weather calls for a summer scent. A scent like Nest’s Grapefruit,  grapefruit blended with lily of the valley and coriander blossom smell awesome and feels cool.

Eat Spicy Food

There’s a reason spicy food is so popular in places with hot climates. It turns out eating something hot is a great way to stay cool. Capsaicin, the substance in peppers that makes spicy food spicy, binds to the pain receptors in your mouth. In response, your brain interprets this as being hot, and makes you sweat, and the sweat on your skin subsequently cools you down. The brilliant part is that you can do all of this without actually raising your body temperature, making it a genius way to cool down when things get hot outside. And for more tips on staying healthy all season long, check out the 15 Biggest Health Mistakes People Make in the Summer.

Sip Some Peppermint Tea

A glass of peppermint tea is a great way to make your insides feel cool and tingly, thanks to menthol, a substance in the plant that works the opposite way capsaicin does, instead tricking your body into feeling cold. You can also spray mint tea on your skin to provide both evaporative and mentholated cooling, so this beverage pulls double duty.

1. Peppermint Iced Tea

Cool off this summer with a refreshing iced tea that packs more than just the zero-calorie benefits. Along with promoting relaxation, digestion and providing immune development, peppermint tea has also been show to act as an appetite suppressant. The herbal superfood can actually increase your metabolism resulting in weight loss among some. So put this tea over ice and enjoy!

6

Let it Flow (loose fitting clothing)

You only get to wear them between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so you may as well get the most use out of your summer whites as possible. Light colors reflect light, which means you’ll be cooler in white or pastels than you would be in dark clothes, which trap heat. And whenever possible, opt for them on the baggy side: loose-fitting clothes provide better air flow, which means you’ll feel cooler.

4. Go underground

Head down to the basement on those scorching hot days. Our basement stays so chilly that we sometimes use blankets down there in the summer.

Some people may balk at this idea if their basement is unfinished. However, don’t let that stop you. Simply clean out a corner and set up a chair or maybe a desk. Personally, I would rather smell mustiness than melt into the floor upstairs.

Keep it Cool With Plants Flowers

The benefits of having houseplants are manifold. They can improve mood, purify air, and they can also make a room feel cooler. Plants release moisture into the air, which helps regulate the relative humidity of a room and can make it feel more comfortable than it otherwise would. And for more genius ways to maintain a temperately comfy abode, check out

We had a taste of the heat last weekend, didn’t we?   If you went to the fabulous art festival in downtown Des Moines, you know just how good it felt to retreat back to the inside after a couple of sweat drenching hours outside. 

There is something glorious about cooling down, isn’t there?  In preparation for the heat to come, I found a few interesting ways to keep it cool for the summer.

Take Your Vitamin C

Keeping cool might be as easy as taking your vitamins.    There has been reseach that shows that vitamin c helps keep your body temperature from rising from heat exposure.   Cool, right?  

  

Tip: Eat Spicy Food

Well that just seems like something one wouldn’t do in the heat!   But there is a reason that spicy food is popular in hotter climates.   Eating spicy food is actually a great way to stay cool. When your mouth is hot, hot, hot...our brains tell us that we are overheated which in turn makes us sweat.   And thus the sweat on your skin from eating spicy food in turn cools us down! A genius way to cool down when its hot outside. Sounds like a spicy meal at Wasabi Waukee to me!

Keep it Cool by Switching Scents

All scents are not equal in your home.  Hot weather calls for a summer scent. A scent like Nest’s Grapefruit,  grapefruit blended with lily of the valley and coriander blossom smell awesome and feels cool.

Eat Spicy Food

There’s a reason spicy food is so popular in places with hot climates. It turns out eating something hot is a great way to stay cool. Capsaicin, the substance in peppers that makes spicy food spicy, binds to the pain receptors in your mouth. In response, your brain interprets this as being hot, and makes you sweat, and the sweat on your skin subsequently cools you down. The brilliant part is that you can do all of this without actually raising your body temperature, making it a genius way to cool down when things get hot outside. And for more tips on staying healthy all season long, check out the 15 Biggest Health Mistakes People Make in the Summer.

Sip Some Peppermint Tea

A glass of peppermint tea is a great way to make your insides feel cool and tingly, thanks to menthol, a substance in the plant that works the opposite way capsaicin does, instead tricking your body into feeling cold. You can also spray mint tea on your skin to provide both evaporative and mentholated cooling, so this beverage pulls double duty.

1. Peppermint Iced Tea

Cool off this summer with a refreshing iced tea that packs more than just the zero-calorie benefits. Along with promoting relaxation, digestion and providing immune development, peppermint tea has also been show to act as an appetite suppressant. The herbal superfood can actually increase your metabolism resulting in weight loss among some. So put this tea over ice and enjoy!

6

Let it Flow (loose fitting clothing)

You only get to wear them between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so you may as well get the most use out of your summer whites as possible. Light colors reflect light, which means you’ll be cooler in white or pastels than you would be in dark clothes, which trap heat. And whenever possible, opt for them on the baggy side: loose-fitting clothes provide better air flow, which means you’ll feel cooler.

4. Go underground

Head down to the basement on those scorching hot days. Our basement stays so chilly that we sometimes use blankets down there in the summer.

Some people may balk at this idea if their basement is unfinished. However, don’t let that stop you. Simply clean out a corner and set up a chair or maybe a desk. Personally, I would rather smell mustiness than melt into the floor upstairs.

Keep it Cool With Plants Flowers

The benefits of having houseplants are manifold. They can improve mood, purify air, and they can also make a room feel cooler. Plants release moisture into the air, which helps regulate the relative humidity of a room and can make it feel more comfortable than it otherwise would. And for more genius ways to maintain a temperately comfy abode, check out