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Let’s try not to overheat this summer, k

Jun 22 06:14

I miss the good ol' days when I could lay out in the sun all day, full on bikini, sipping my pop, with no worry of overheating. Aah a lifetime and a perfect spinal cord ago. Time to live in the now, and hot damn, the 'now' is now June. Summer is here already? How the heck did that happen?

Sometimes we all need a refresher course on what we should do in certain situations when it comes to our spinal cord injuries. How many years have passed since your stay in rehab? Don't let yourself overheat (again) the summer like I always do. And that is why the Internet is so great.

I ran across a great PSA from Backbones, a newish (and really cool) network support nonprofit for people with spinal cord injuries. They posted an extremely important wall message on their Facebook that everyone should read if they have a spinal cord injury. In case you forgot, here are the main things you should do to stay cool this summer if you have a spinal cord injury:

- Don't stay out in 90° heat for too long, unless you have a spray bottle or fan on you.

- Avoid direct sunlight for longer than 1/2 hour. Make sure to go in and out of the sun if you're insistent on laying out.

- Always make sure you keep water on you and drink at least a bottle an hour.

- Remember, you can always mimic sweat with cool water on your skin. That is why a spray bottle or a wet/cool washcloth can help so much.

They also mentioned another really great tip. "If others are sweating that's an indicator that you need to cool your body too." A GREAT tip and one that I think a lot of people forget. Always pay attention to able-bodied people around you to know what your body should really be doing at that moment.

Well that about covers it. I really hope I don't overheat again this summer, but with a van with no AC and global warming on the rise, staying cool (and knowing how to be smart about it) looks like it'll be one the most important things I do (and you!) in the next few months.

How do you make sure you never overheat?

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By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.