Time to Stay Hydrated

August is a time of year that damages your body like no other month of the year; there is however ways to combat the effects of the August heat. I see many folks over the years enter my boat with that tough outer shell and after a couple of hours in the heat realize their not so strong; it’s not a sign of weakness to be prepared to do the right thing while facing tough hot August conditions.

The key is to stay hydrated, drink plenty of water whether you think you need too or not. Your body functions depend on water to help you maintain body temperature while in the heat; I know for many of us old timers we were told that asking for water was a good way to see the bench if you played athletics. No one is going to bench you while your fishing and those old days and what was once considered a weakness are long gone. Aggressively drinking water can only make you more tolerant while out in the heat; I put plenty of water in my boat for my customers and you need to make sure your cooler is also filled.

Water makes up a great percentage of your body weight and the more water you drink while in the heat the better your chances are of tolerating the hot conditions. Sweating is a normal response to heat; your body sweats to cool the body temperature; replenishing the water you sweat out is the key to keeping your body temperature at what we consider normal range; allowing you to tolerate heat and maintain a body temperature that keeps you from getting sick to your stomach. If the body over heats the only response you have is to sweat and replenishing the water will act as a barrier to the system from breaking down and hurting you physically.

I also believe that keeping towels wet around your neck also acts as a way to curb you from sweating it cools your body temperature; in the hottest times on the water I keep a towel dipped in water around my neck allowing me to maintain consistent body temperature. Water is the key to over-coming the heat of August; drinking it and using it to cool your body give you the strength to continue to stay focused during the dog-days!