For some of us older guys: remember to work slower in the heat...

**Anthony O.** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½08:48 AM

Originally Posted by SK2003TypeS

Watch the dehydration factor guyz. I had kidney stones last year. Doc told me dehydration is a factor. It is the worst feeling I`ve ever had. Kinda like someone taking a baseball bat to your back and then when you`re laid out and barely able to move, they go to town on ya.

Water, water and more water.

...and Scottwax is the Autopian Cyborg

Lemonade is vital to drink if one is prone to kidney stones. Some of my docs are Urologists and avoiding sodas, coffee and dehydration are key. You can have soda and coffee but I limit myself now to 1 or 2 a week. Lemonade is shown to not only prevent stones from forming but Lemonade can also dissolve already formed stones.

Distilled water is said to be better than Spring water as Spring water may have minerals in it and some docs believe this may have a negative effect. So I drink lots of water and cool refreshing lemonade :woohoo: Also, motorcyle riders hardly ever develop kidney stones...jus a little factoid :grinno:

Anthony

**03SilverDak** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½11:23 AM

you also have to keep your salt levels up too. watched the news where a cop dropped dead because he drank too much water and depleted his salt levels to the point where his body shut down. thats why I keep gatorade around along with my water. also wear a hat to keep the sun off your head. wear light color clothing to repel as much heat as you can. also make sure its cotton as it will breathes better than synthetic fibers.

**03SilverDak** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½11:23 AM

you also have to keep your salt levels up too. watched the news where a cop dropped dead because he drank too much water and depleted his salt levels to the point where his body shut down. thats why I keep gatorade around along with my water. also wear a hat to keep the sun off your head. wear light color clothing to repel as much heat as you can. also make sure its cotton as it will breathes better than synthetic fibers.

**mtwedt** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½11:42 AM

I think people are making an excellent point about working in the heat. As a critical care nurse, I think it could be useful to point out a few things. Working safely and smarterly in the heat is not a "old guy" thing, it is a "smart guy" thing. Heatstroke is not an age-specific phenomenon. I got a mild case of it sleeping during a very hot day (when I worked nights). Yuck! You need to drink plenty of fluids, with electrolytes, ie...sodium, chloride, potassium. 8 oz every 30-90 minutes depending on the heat and the fluid loss through sweat (sweat is how the body cools itself via convection with the hot air) Drinking only large amounts of water can cause water toxicity, ie...diluting the decreasing amounts of electrolytes in the body already reduced by sweat loss. This can be as bad, if not worse, than the heatstroke you are trying to prevent. Eating a small amount of something, celery sticks, string cheese with every other fluid break can be useful as well. Taking short, frequent breaks with smaller amounts of fluid and food avoids that intensely full feeling after downing large amount of fluid rapidly. Some people have difficulty with the sugar load in Gatorade type stuff or high sugar quick snacks. Crystal light lemonade can be useful. Developing kidney stones is certainly facilitated by dehydration. Many of these chi-chi new waters have electrolytes in them, but no sugar. Wear a hat! Find some shade every 30-60 minutes for 5 minutes or so. Those spray bottles with the fans attached are an excellent way to feel like you have cooled down. Starting early in the morning is a must. I wear a sweat band, otherwise I would be blinded. Bringing along some frozen gel packs in the cooler or using one of those cooling neck things is very useful as well. It sounds time-consuming to do this stuff, but you will actually work more efficiently if you do it and probably do the best job possible as a result.

**mtwedt** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½11:42 AM

I think people are making an excellent point about working in the heat. As a critical care nurse, I think it could be useful to point out a few things. Working safely and smarterly in the heat is not a "old guy" thing, it is a "smart guy" thing. Heatstroke is not an age-specific phenomenon. I got a mild case of it sleeping during a very hot day (when I worked nights). Yuck! You need to drink plenty of fluids, with electrolytes, ie...sodium, chloride, potassium. 8 oz every 30-90 minutes depending on the heat and the fluid loss through sweat (sweat is how the body cools itself via convection with the hot air) Drinking only large amounts of water can cause water toxicity, ie...diluting the decreasing amounts of electrolytes in the body already reduced by sweat loss. This can be as bad, if not worse, than the heatstroke you are trying to prevent. Eating a small amount of something, celery sticks, string cheese with every other fluid break can be useful as well. Taking short, frequent breaks with smaller amounts of fluid and food avoids that intensely full feeling after downing large amount of fluid rapidly. Some people have difficulty with the sugar load in Gatorade type stuff or high sugar quick snacks. Crystal light lemonade can be useful. Developing kidney stones is certainly facilitated by dehydration. Many of these chi-chi new waters have electrolytes in them, but no sugar. Wear a hat! Find some shade every 30-60 minutes for 5 minutes or so. Those spray bottles with the fans attached are an excellent way to feel like you have cooled down. Starting early in the morning is a must. I wear a sweat band, otherwise I would be blinded. Bringing along some frozen gel packs in the cooler or using one of those cooling neck things is very useful as well. It sounds time-consuming to do this stuff, but you will actually work more efficiently if you do it and probably do the best job possible as a result.

**psl car wash** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½12:01 PM

im from florida where its hot but i just moved to tennessee 6months ago and it was 99 degrees here today!

**psl car wash** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½12:01 PM

im from florida where its hot but i just moved to tennessee 6months ago and it was 99 degrees here today!

**JeffM** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½12:36 PM

I am outside all day in Florida doing construction work. At the end of the day im too hot and tired to do much except maybe just wash the vehicle.

I typically go through 4 T-Shirts a day.

I cant wait for winter.

**JeffM** · 08-15-2005,ï¿½12:36 PM

I am outside all day in Florida doing construction work. At the end of the day im too hot and tired to do much except maybe just wash the vehicle.

I typically go through 4 T-Shirts a day.

I cant wait for winter.

**imported_mirrorfinishman** · 08-16-2005,ï¿½06:13 AM

Originally Posted by Mosca

Man, it`s been hot. And humid. And I`m probably not in the worst of it, either. It`s been over 90* something like 26 times this year here in NEPA. We`ve set a record number of heat records. It was 96* today; it was 79* at 8AM.

Hey Tom,

Thanks for a good post. Some of these hot and humid days, I`ve actually been getting to my customers` locations by 5:30AM, just to beat the heat. At least that way, I`m done detailing at least one vehicle by lunchtime. It`s just too hot to be working outside in the afternoon heat.

**imported_mirrorfinishman** · 08-16-2005,ï¿½06:13 AM

Originally Posted by Mosca

Man, it`s been hot. And humid. And I`m probably not in the worst of it, either. It`s been over 90* something like 26 times this year here in NEPA. We`ve set a record number of heat records. It was 96* today; it was 79* at 8AM.

Hey Tom,

Thanks for a good post. Some of these hot and humid days, I`ve actually been getting to my customers` locations by 5:30AM, just to beat the heat. At least that way, I`m done detailing at least one vehicle by lunchtime. It`s just too hot to be working outside in the afternoon heat.

**General Lee** · 08-16-2005,ï¿½02:19 PM

I absolutely hate this weather. I sweat like a prostitute in church. It doesn`t take much to get me sweating. I don`t detail full time, but I`m thankful that on the really bad days my father allows me to use his air conditioned garage for my customers. So-so days I try and get them to my house where I at least have a car port. By the end of each detail I am absolutely drained.

My hat goes off to the professionals who do this full time. I constantly think about detailing full time, but after a day of detailing where I`m so beat I can barely get home, I always ask myself " do I really want to do this" I could detail all day and night in the fall and winter, its just the summer heat I can not tolerate.

**Mr Monk** · 08-16-2005,ï¿½02:32 PM

Thanks for the great advice mtwedt!

Hmmm, Lemonade, never really thought about it.

I should give it a try. I love Snapple right from the ole` fridge.

I know what you mean SK2003TypeS about those nasty stones. I had `em earlier this year. I was asking my wife to shoot me to put me out of my misery!!!!!

**Scottwax** · 08-16-2005,ï¿½02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Mosca

But Scott, everyone knows you`re superhuman...

The air here is totally dead, it`s been just this side of working underwater.

Tom

I`m just used to it. Regardless of the humidity, Phoenix is a lot hotter and basically, the strong possibility of 100+ degree days start in early to mid May and don`t end until the first week of October. In comparison, Dallas really isn`t that bad. Our last hot summer was 1999 when we hit 100 or higher around 50 times. Since then, most summers have had around 5-8 100 degree days, one year we had only 1. Mid to upper 90s feel really normal to me. I have a very high tolerance to the heat I guess.

I just drink a lot of fluids (water, caffeine free Diet Coke and Gatorade/Powerade). If I am working in the direct sun, every so often I will wander into the shade for a couple of minutes. When I skate in the early evening, it is still around 90-92 or so and I go through 2 quarts of water in about 75-90 minutes.

Oh yeah, I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the cold weather. Just absolutely despise it. I`d much rather work all day when it is 100 than 1 hour when it is 55 or less. I dread the approach of winter each yer. Personally, I would like the see the earth`s axis adjusted so it never gets below around 70-75. Seriously.