John K. Flores: Beat the heat with proper hydration, eyewear

If you love the outdoors like I do, it’s hard to sit indoors even when the temperature outside is in the 90s. Whenever I spend the day inside trying to beat the heat, I always feel like I missed something. What’s more, usually it turns out to be true.
I’ll do my finger scroll thing on my smart phone and see what’s the latest on my social media and sure enough one post says the sac-a-lait were biting. Another post says that wood storks were spotted in a crawfish pond near Crowley.
Though I might be comfortable inside, there’s this scowl on my face, while I’m watching reruns of The Incredible Doctor Pol and regurgitated news on FOX.
Suddenly, my wife Christine, says, “You should have gone, you didn’t have anything planned today.”
Obviously, that didn’t help the scowl. It’s hard to respond to the truth when you darn well know that you wimped out and wasn’t going anywhere. Ah, such is married life.
With all that said, there are things you can and should do to mitigate the heat and protect yourself during the dog days of summer.
Did you know that hydration helps regulate body temperature, supports brain function and mood, and keeps our joints lubricated and your digestion smooth? According to a News and Insights article by Sandy Cohen with UCLA Health, drinking water is good for you.
Dang, I always thought water was something that fish go to the bathroom in and rusts pipes. About now, Christine is rolling her eyes at me. After all, she’s heard this diatribe from me for years.
Seriously though, the UCLA Health article had several things that are worth mentioning. One being urine color. Essentially, Sarah Adler, MS, RD, a performance dietitian with UCLA Health Sports Performance says “We like a pale-yellow color. If it is apple-juice color, we’re not hydrated.”
Did you know there is a such thing as hydrating foods? One of the things Christine puts in our ice chest on practically all of our summer fishing trips is watermelon. She was obviously on to something, because it was refreshing to see where Adler recommended and provided a whole list of hydrating foods.
Besides watermelon and other melons like honeydew and cantaloupe, she mentions tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, and lettuce are all hydrating foods. The bottom line is drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
Skin protection is another thing to be concerned with, not just in the summer, but year around. However, when I think how the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the earth at their highest point when summer starts around June 21, (aka Summer Solstice), let’s just say it’s when Christine likes to break out the sunscreen during our fishing trips.
I’ll no sooner have the boat on anchor and tossing my line overboard, when she starts to lather my face, ears, and even my bald head. Even though I have a baseball cap on with a mesh back, my follically challenged head gets a good application.
So, what SPF should you use? When you’re talking about SPF, in a nutshell, it means the ability of the sunscreen to absorb or reflect damaging UVB rays. SPF 15 will block 93% of UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays, and SPF 50 blocks 98%.
All of us know someone who has had skin cancer. On the MD Anderson website under Basal Cell Carcinoma, it says this type of cancer is the most common in the world, with more than 4 million diagnoses each year. The second-most common is squamous cell carcinoma. Combined, these cancers cause 2,000 deaths per year.
When outside, especially on the water, it’s a good idea to also protect your eyes from UV rays as well. UV rays can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts, and damage to the eye surface, cornea, and lens.
So, what’s the best sunglasses to look for? Easy. Those that provide 100% UV protection.
There are many brands like ONOS, Hobie Eyewear, Costa, Oakley and Foster Grant. Bear in mind, top brands of sunglasses can be expensive, but in today’s market where online purchases can be made with the stroke of a finger, there is something available with everyone’s price point and budget in mind.
There is a wide range of clothing available that provides UPF protection. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, which is a rating system that measure the effectiveness of fabric in blocking ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
From hoodies to long sleeve shirts to neck gaiter, there is something for everyone when it comes to sun protection.
GOT Sports offers a UPF 50+ fishing neck gaiter for $12.99. That’s less than a doctor’s office co-pay when it comes down to protecting your skin.
The important thing is to protect yourself because there is lots of summer left. What’s more, we won’t see any relief until at least mid-September.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.