Dealing with the Heat (for the Umpteenth Time)

I've been doing this stuff (physical therapy, athletic training) for almost 38 year now.  I've been an athlete for longer than that.  My introduction to organized sports was football, when I was in the 4th grade. 

It was actually pretty unheard of back then to start that young but I was determined to play so my dad signed me up.

All of a sudden I find myself on a team with 14 year-old 8th graders, some of whom were already shaving. 

Didn't stop me though.  I loved the game then and I love it now.

Football has given me a life and a career but that's another story, one I've told here a couple of times. 

I've loved it through the good times of Friday nights and Saturday championships.

I've loved it even through my son's injury on October 3rd, 2002, when he lay on the floor of the Florida State football field with a horribly broken right leg. 

Only once have I been even peripherally involved with a football injury that resulted in death.

It was 1980 and I was living in Bluefield, West Virginia, working with the local high school football team.  It was nothing like today, when we are there all the time.  It was more of an occasional check 

and then one of us was there on Friday nights.

A young man, rather overweight and getting over flu-like symptoms, collapsed at a hot preseason practice and died later at the hospital.

Yes, the heat likely killed him. 

Our athletic trainers work hard to prevent heat-related problems and I'd like to think that in today's world, in Blount County, Tennessee, this young man would have survived.

It wasn't really the game of football that killed him, although practicing in the hottest part of the day with pads and a helmet make for a dangerous situation.

It's hot right now.  As I write this, they're predicting the possibility of a record high today. 

But that doesn't mean you should stay inside in the air conditioned house all the time.  It's OK to get outside, you've just got to be smart about it.

Hydrate.  You gotta do it.  Drink more than you think you need.

Stay wet.  We sweat for a reason.  As the water evaporates from our skin, it cools us off.  Wet from a water bottle is OK too.

Wear bright clothing (to reflect the sun's rays) and a hat.  And clothing that allows air to circulate freely (see evaporation above).

Take breaks.  Maybe always have an exercise partner who can recognize if you are overheating.

And if you do overheat, consider it a medical emergency.  It is imperative that you get cooled off.  In a hurry.