The Dawg Days of Summer…

What a great winter we had, or lack of a winter.  For the most part, the east coast was spared a cold and snowy winter.  Heck we had some of the nicest days of the year in Jan, Feb and March.  I did not consult the National Weather Offices but I feel confident in saying we only had a few weeks of seasonal weather all year and I am Thankful…all my marathon training long runs were run in great conditions and the Shamrock Marathon was a near perfect day.  But boy are we going to pay for it this summer.

The Dawg Days of summer are right around the corner…and this is the time of the year you have got to pay attention to your body.  One of the harmful effects of the summer sun/heat is heat stress.  

Heat stress is the physiological reaction that occurs when the body accumulates heat faster than it can be dissipated.

Heat Fatigue – Caused by, prolonged heat exposure for those who are unaccustomed to heat.   Symptoms,  temporary state of discomfort or mental or psychological strain.  Treatment, provide cool liquids and breaks in a cool location.   

Heat Exhaustion – Caused by, loss of large amounts of body fluids by sweating, sometimes with excessive salt loss.  Symptoms, continued sweating, extreme weakness or fatigue, giddiness, nausea, or headache, skin clammy and moist, complexion pale or flushed, body temperature normal or slightly elevated.  Possibly vomiting or loss of consciousness.  Treatment, Summon medical help immediately.  Move victim to a cool location, remove excess clothing , cool by fanning or by pouring ambient temperature water on the body.  Give cool drinks if conscious.

Heart Stroke – Caused by, failure of the body’s temperature control mechanism.  Symptoms, hot, usually dry red or spotted skin without sweat.  Body temperature =103^o F. Victim confused, delirious, convulsing, or unconscious.  Treatment, Life threatening - Summon medical help immediately.  Move victim to a cool location; remove excess clothing, cool by fanning or by pouring ambient temperature water on the body.  Treat for shock by raising feet if there are no head, neck, or back injuries.

Take care of yourself, because of the importance of personal factors in heat stress, the individual employee is in the best position to understand and should take responsibility for detecting his/her personal heat stress limitations.

Part II , How to prevent heat stress on Monday.

Keep cool people…Run on...Run Strong!