How to Cool Yourself Without Air Conditioning

This post is in Honor of one of our favorite missionaries, Elder Fowler. He got hot one day, and figured out how to keep cool, I added a few more ideas just in case his idea doesn't work for you...

How to Cool Yourself Without Air Conditioning

Are you stuck on a sweltering summer day without air conditioning? Here's how to cool yourself down before the heat overwhelms your body.

The sun is up, the heat's rising...

1. Cooling off in the water

Just Add Water! Cool water is a very effective way too cool off. Studies show that this will reduce your core body temperature by as much as 3 °F (1.5 ºC). The relief is almost immediate, and will last for up to one hour!

* Go to a pool and just relax in water. This will cool you down instantly. Even your little brother's kiddie pool will do.

* Ball up and soak a t-shirt in the sink, wring it out, put it on and sit in a lawn chair (or other chair that lets air through to you) in front of a fan. Re-wet as it dries. Works over 110F. Make sure not to soak it with cold water. It can be colder than you think. Instead use lukewarm water so you get cool without freezing. :)

* Wet your wrists and other pulse points with cold water. Use a piece of ice wrapped in a face cloth, to continue after the coolness wears off. Constantly cooling off the wrists will also cool off the body. Never use just ice; make sure it is wrapped in a towel or something similar.

* Wear a short sleeved shirt and put water on the sleeves. If there is a breeze or fan blowing on you, you can actually get cold. Use a squirt bottle, the sink or hose if outside to keep your sleeves wet. If you are outside and wearing long pants and you put water on your legs, the water will cool your legs.

* Hold that cold beverage on your neck to cool yourself double. A cold object, such as a soda can, held against the neck cools the blood to the brain very quickly.

* A bandana, soaked in water and tied about the neck cools quickly and protects against sunburn. Even better are cloths with water-absorbing crystals that can be purchased.

* Fill your bathtub with cool water. Once you are used to the temperature let some water out and refill with cold water. Keep doing this until you are sufficiently cold. Your body will stay cool for a long time after you get out.

2. Empty your refrigerator and get inside

* Here we have an exapmle of how to stay cool in your frige.

* While you in the fridge cooling down it gives you lots of time to think.

* Also while inside, if you get hungry there is always somthing to eat while you cool down.

3. Go Ahead, Sweat It Out! Water vapor produced by sweating actually takes heat away from your body if it is exposed to air and allowed to evaporate. The best thing to do is to put your sweaty self in the path of a cool breeze or fan.

4. Dress (or Undress) for the Heat. There are several strategies to dress, depending on your situation:

* Nothing: If you're in a situation where you can go without clothes, this can be the most comfortable, natural way to stay cool.

* Next-to-Nothing: Put on a swimsuit, or wear your underwear at home.

* Summer Clothing: Wear natural fabrics (cotton, silk, linen) rather than polyester, rayon, or other artificial fibers (with the possible exception of performance fabrics).

* Women can wear flowing dresses or skirts, but forgo the nylons or pantyhose if possible.

* Men should shun ties if possible, as this keeps heat near the skin.

* Wear Light Colors: Darker colors will absorb the sun's rays and be warmer.

* Cover Up: Covering up may actually keep your cooler, especially if the heat is low in humidity. In the scorching temperatures of the Middle Eastern deserts, traditional cultures wear clothing covering from head to toe. By protecting your skin from the sun beating down, you'll also shade your skin. Be sure your clothing is natural fabrics, and loose.

Desert cultures have learned cover up skin to keep cool.

5. Drink water, even if you are not thirsty! You must replace fluids lost in perspiration to prevent dehydration. Ice does not actually help you cool off if it is in water you will drink. Cool water does, but the colder the water the more energy your body spends making it body temperature so that it can use it.

6. Avoid direct sunlight. Stay in a shaded area if possible. Exposure to direct sunlight increases the heat index, so that your body may experience temperatures even higher than the air temperature!

7. Keep the air flowing. Turn on the ceiling fan or box fan in the room. Do not make a fan out of paper and use it to wave air past your face and neck. Contrary to popular belief, the activity created by waving actually burns calories and raises your core temperature. In any case, it isn't very effective.

8. Eat Smart. Smaller meals with less protein will reduce metabolic heat. Whatever you do eat should be cool and not require heat (or much heat) to be prepared (e.g. salads, sandwiches, etc.) But be sure to eat something, even though the heat might kill your appetite.

9. Use a Hint of Mint.Try a few minty or menthol products to cool your skin: slather on lotion with peppermint (avoid your face and eyes), shower with peppermint soap, use a minty foot soak, and powders with mint. Mint refreshes the skin and leaves a nice cooling sensation.

10. Try A Heat Snorkelling System.Take a glass and fill it almost to the brim with ice cubes. Then hold it up to your mouth and blow gently into the cup. The ice causes the air you are blowing into the cup to cool down drastically, and since the air only has one way out of the cup (the hole which should now be aiming right at your face) the cold air is forced out over your skin. This is a great alternative to air conditioning and is very simple.

11. Take Your Hat Off; Stay A While.Take off your shoes or hat while indoors! Much of the body's heat is released through the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, and the scalp. Keeping these areas cool makes a surprising difference.

12. Eat Spicy Food. It's not a coincidence that many people in hotter regions of the world eat spicy food. Spicy (hot to the taste) food increases perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates. It also can cause an endorphin rush that is quite pleasant and might make you forget about the heat.

13. Use Alcohol--Rubbing, That Is... Take ordinary rubbing alcohol and a wash-cloth and pour some alcohol onto the cloth and rub it onto your face, being careful not to get any in your mouth or eyes, and stand in front of or under moving air and the evaporating alcohol makes it feel around 30 degrees.

14. Think Cool. Read books about climbing Mount Everest, visiting Norway, or watch "March of the Penguins", "Ice Age", or "The Day After Tomorrow". You might not be physically cooler, but if your mind envisions a cold environment, you might feel a bit cooler.

Steps

* Don't forget that the human race lived for many, many years without air conditioning. Within the limits of your particular health situation, your body can adapt to the summer increase in temperature. Just become accustomed to the fact that you may have to alter your activities and schedule to 'beat the heat'.

* Stock your freezer with flavored ice treats. Freeze a bag of chopped fruit such as watermelon, pineapple or grapes. Cooling down can be a tasty experience too!

* If all else fails, go to the mall, library, church, movie theater or some other air-conditioned public building.

* You still want to get into the outdoors? Usually the early morning and evening are cooled down enough to enjoy your walk, run, hike, bike, gardening, or yard work.

* Apply a thin layer of vanishing cream to your freshly washed, dried face. Whether or not you have acne, the vanishing cream helps to absorb facial perspiration and postpones the moment when your glasses slip down your nose!

* Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which make you urinate more often than usual. This promotes further dehydration through water loss. Contrary to popular belief, caffeinated and sugary drinks can still promote good hydration, although not as effectively as pure water.

* Sweat includes both water and salt from your body. If you are sweating a lot, it is actually healthier to drink something with salt or other electrolytes in it to replenish the lost salt as well as the lost fluid. Gatorade or other sports drinks are good to use for this. Soda usually has high sodium content as well, but may contain the diuretic of caffeine, which won't hydrate you as well.

* Try this low-tech cooling technique. Place a medium-sized box-fan in a small window facing out. Seal up any remaining open areas in the window with cardboard. Close every other window in your house except for one, left open just a crack... This will actually blow all of the stagnant hot air out of your house and significantly cool down the overall temperature.

Warnings

* While it is rarely a problem for individuals with good health, over-hydration is a possibility for individuals with heart, liver, or kidney problems[1]. If you have any serious health problems, be mindful of how much water you drink, as your kidneys may not be able to excrete an excessive amount of water properly.

* Babies, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are all much more prone to overheating than others. Be sure to keep an eye on members of your family, co-workers, and neighbors.

* A body temperature above 104 °F (40 °C) is life-threatening and if it reaches 113 °F (45 °C) you are approaching sure death. Don't let your temperature rise anywhere near those temperatures.

How to Be Photogenic

I know not everyone can look as good as me when it comes to photo's so I thought I would share some of my secrets.

Do you dislike having your picture taken because you always seem to come out looking hideous? Have you ever been on a date with someone whose online photo knocked you out but whose appearance in real life turned out to be a bit uninspiring? What’s the deal with pictures? While being photogenic just comes naturally to me, there are a few things that anyone can do to look better in photos. Try out these tricks and stop running for cover whenever the camera comes out.

Steps

1. Wear clothes with colors that suit you. Certain colors complement certain skin tones, while others tend to bring out the worst. Also take into consideration your hair color. You may have a feel for which colors you look best in, but if not, do some research (check out the external links below) and some trial-and-error.

2. Pick the right clothes. As in, don't overdo it. Wearing a vintage blue shirt and blue jeans might make you appear to blend, which is not good. Try not to wear too much pattern either, or it will take away from your gorgeous face.

3. Determine your best angle. Beyond the obvious hiding of blemishes, finding the right angle for your face can be a bit more difficult. The best thing you can do is experiment using a digital camera so that you can immediately see the results of each pose. It will very quickly become obvious which angles are most flattering for you, and you can then use that angle as much as possible in the future. The classic model's pose is to arrange your body 3/4 toward the camera with one foot in front of the other and one shoulder closer to the camera than the other.

4. Get rid of a double chin. Tilt your head down slightly and try to position yourself so that the camera is a little above your eye level. This will hide a double chin fairly effectively. You can also put one hand under your chin as though you’re resting your head on your hand. Don't actually rest any weight on the hand, however, or you will push the skin into an unflattering position.

5. Stick your neck out. One trick models often use is to present a 3/4 pose to the camera (turn your head so that 3/4 of your face is exposed to the camera, as opposed to a full frontal shot) and then lift your neck and slightly tilt your head down, as though you are a turkey sticking its head out (without actually thrusting your chin out). This improves facial definition and helps ameliorate wrinkles and flabby skin.

6. Relax. Many people end up looking odd in photos because they freeze into odd facial expressions with a “say cheese" type of smile on their face. If you're used to having bad pictures taken of yourself, you probably get nervous in front of the camera, and this can make things even worse.

7. Think happy thoughts. An unnatural, forced smile can make you look stiff and, frankly, weird.

8. Smile with your eyes. Nothing projects happiness and beauty like smiling eyes: a happy, somewhat mischievous expression of the eyes. To achieve this effect, imagine that the camera is a person you have a crush on walking into the room. This will create wider open eyes and a relaxed smile.

9. Maintain your posture. Listen to your mother — remember how she always told you not to slouch? Good posture can dramatically improve your appearance in pictures.

10. Edit or enhance photos. If you've tried everything, but you still can’t seem to get a good picture of yourself in any environment, try slightly altering your digital photos. Changing the lighting effects or filter effects, for example, can dramatically improve the appearance of your complexion.

15. Relax your lip (mouth) region and don't have any delirious thoughts filled with gloom. It's a natural way to appear fresh and appealing in photo graphs.

16. Be graceful in your movements.

Tips

* If you can get ahold of the photo before it hits the internet, try to Photoshop (not too much, it looks like you're a poser) or get a friend (a trusted friend) to do it for you.

* Study pictures of models and other photogenic people, like myself (Krazy Keith) When comfortable for your personality, experiment with mimicking their postures, but remember most model photos are not what family members or friends are looking for in a picture. Stand at a slight angle to the camera.

* Have your close friends look at the pictures you've taken to help you ascertain when you look your best. Sometimes, a critical second set of eyes is a great help.

* Consider that people with highly animated faces stand a better chance of getting captured during a transient grotesque expression. Frame-by-frame video is a great way to see significant differences between the photogenic and the not-so-photogenic.

* Practice smiling in front of the mirror. In no time you'll know which smile looks fake and which is the most flattering. Learning how your face moves will help when someone grabs for the camera. Smile using your top row of teeth, it may feel unnatural but a smile with both rows of teeth can easily look fake.

* Keep your tongue behind your teeth.

* Use makeup. Those runway models and movie stars don’t necessarily all have perfect complexions, but they do all wear makeup so that they look unblemished.

* Always look slightly above the camera when the picture is taken. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis always used this technique for photographs and portraits. Additionally, it helps reduce the "red eye" effect.

* If it is a full-length shot, position your body 45 degrees from the camera, then turn your head towards the lens. Stand with one foot crossed in front of the other and put all your weight on your back leg. This pose is very slimming and universally flattering.

Warnings

* Make sure your photos look like you. These steps can help you better capture your natural beauty in pictures, but if you end up doctoring your photos too much you’re liable to look like someone you’re not. While you want to put your best face forward for online dating sites or acting headshots, you also want to make sure you accurately represent yourself. If you don’t, dates and potential employers may feel deceived.

* Sucking in your stomach will make you appear unattractive because your ribs may poke through your shirt. Worse, it will make you look slightly uncomfortable, which is never appealing.

* Tilting your head down slightly can sometimes create the effect of a double-chin, rather than hiding one.

BTW: We are heading back to the ocean for some more fishing, I am hoping to catch the phone I lost. What I a realy telling you is I am not going to be around for a few days to help you solve your everyday problems, so good luck getting by without me for a few days... KK

Bad Hair Day

Seeing that people seem to like my advice I guess I will answer some more of your questions.. This one is for Cameron.

Mike, Trish, Megan, Ryan and Cameron Gardner said...

Ok Keith, now i need some advice. How do i get my hair to do that? Do you use a curling iron or rollers?

Love,

Crazy Cameron

In responce to your question, here is the best way...

To Achieve a Messy Hair Effect

The title says messy hair, but does not mean that you should look like a porcupine on a bad day. Messy refers to messy, in a structured way. One that looks good, as opposed to being a halo of hair. Read on.

Steps

1. Wash your hair. Use shampoo and a little bit of conditioner. If you use too much conditioner, your hair goes limp and flat, too little, and your hair becomes too dry.
2. Towel dry your hair until there is no water dripping off the ends. Alternatively, you could just shake your hair out.
3. Run your fingers though your hair, separating the different parts, so your hair falls in the direction it does naturally. Do not attempt to do anything fancy at this stage, and, more importantly: Do not use a comb.
4. Blow dry your hair. Again, do not use a comb or your hair will have no texture. Dry your hair in the opposite direction from which it grows. This basically means that you hold the hair dryer beneath you and blow upwards. This means that each strand of hair gains more volume and enhances your layers.
5. Wait about 5 minutes, until your hair is mostly dry but still a bit damp here and there, stop blow drying it. By this time, your hair is probably very, very messy, so use your fingers to prod and push the hair so that it falls in the right place.
6. Take some clay or wax, and apply small (very small) globs of the stuff to different partitions of hair. The different parts are therefore separated from each other and are more easy to style.

* If you want to go for a really structured messy look, carefully manipulate section by section until you achieve the desired effect.
* If you just want a messy look, run your hands roughly through different sections of hair, and shake your fingers until there's hair all over the show.

* If you want, try backcombing.
7. Blow dry your hair again for one more minute. This helps with the styling, and you can use it to further define different parts of your hair.
8. To hold in place, use hairspray.


Tips

* To give your hair more volume when messy, place your fingers on either side of your head and push upwards. Do the same for the back of your hair. Provided you've got clay or some other styling product in your hair, it should stay like that for some time, though you may have to keep on doing it every so often.
* If you can't think of how to separate the layers, lift the top layers of hair away from each side of your scalp, then let it fall back into place. This gives you some layers to work with.
* For the front (assuming you have bangs), pinch the hair lightly and lift it away from the scalp, then let it fall back into place. Once again, this will give you some layers to work with
* If you find you're hair is getting too out of control, you can use a comb to put it back into place. Don't rake the comb through your hair, just lightly run it over the top. Otherwise, you'll lose the layers.
* Choose a good styling product. Clay and wax give you a lot of control over your hair and a good base to work with.


Warnings

* If you blow dry your hair often, get a good moisturizing conditioner and shampoo. Otherwise, your hair will end up resembling a brillo-pad.
* Don't use too much hair product, just enough to give you the style you want. If you use too much, it will weigh your hair down and it will loose its definition.
* Never comb your hair except if your hair goes completely out of control and you can't get it back into place

I hope this answers your question Cameron!!

Btw: I only scratched myself twice while writing this blog.

Energy Drinks

Here I sit scratching, no not my butt; I was scratching my left ear lobe.

While scratching I noticed that someone had posted a comment. That’s right someone wanted advice from me, Krazy Keith G. Do you believe that? My family wont.

ihenpecked said...

Tomorrow, please teach me how to down energy drinks and not go into a coma.

You ask for it you got it... If any one knows about energy drinks it's me, I'm on my third one right now. KK

How to Avoid Crashing After Having an Energy Drink

Every student knows the sugar and caffeine crash you experience after you have an energy drink. Can you lessen or avoid this effect? Surprisingly, it is not all that difficult.

1. Before you go to school, work, etc., drink an energy beverage (check the dosage to be sure you can handle it. Most people should stick with a 15oz can). The most popular and readily available are ones produced by Monster and Rockstar. Both come in many flavors to suit the time at which you drink them.

2. Be sure to eat something before or along with the drink. This will give your system something to work with, and not just run on pure caffeine and sugar. Energy beverages make a great supplement (not replacement) to a breakfast.

3. If you must drink a whole one at once, wait a few hours (2-4) before consuming another. Concentrated caffeine levels are deadly.

4. Try to spread out one drink. "Nurse" it for a few hours. This way, small doses of caffeine are in different parts of the body, some already on the way out.

Tips

1. At lunch, order foods with carbohydrates, such as a sandwich. Always keep some type of food in your system. Caffeine alone will not run your system.

2. If teachers don't allow drinks in class, keep it stored in your pocket for when you get a drink from the "water fountain" in the hall.

3. Don't become dependent on caffeine. Trace amounts remain in the system, so increasing amounts of caffeine will be needed to keep your system going.

4. Consider not drinking energy drinks at all - choose a healthy diet instead. D&C 89

a.Experiment with healthy foods, and find what works for you.

b. Avoid excess carbohydrates (especially unrefined carbs like sugar, white bread and white rice). For some people, even good healthy carbohydrates can cause a crash after eating too much (e.g. 6 potatoes instead of 2 or 3).

c. Try adding low glycemic index carbs to your diet, such as beans or sweet potatoes.

d. Stop eating before you're completely full. Or if you really want to fill up, eat more vegetables.

Warnings

a. NEVER exceed the 3 can limit posted on many energy drink cans. (Do as I say not as I do.) This applies to the double-size, 16oz.s. Three of these will yield 600mg of caffeine. Over a gram is never safe (Note: Depending on your weight and individual tolerance, this amount can be fatal).

b. Consuming too many energy drinks in any given period of time will adversely affect your health. As with any food substance, moderation is encouraged.

c. Be aware that energy drinks may be addictive. Many contain caffeine and other addictive chemicals and/or herbs.

d. Be careful; if you do this too often, you can suffer from "caffeine headaches."(I speak from experience.)

A day in the life of Krazy K.

Today I was reading my e-mail and since all the other Gardners have a blog , I didn't want to be left out, plus I'm sure you all wonder every day "what's Keith up to." Well wonder no more. Here's my fantastic amazing captivating blog.

Today was just another uneventful day, I awoke and scratched my butt, saw Teresa off to work then sat at my computer to fill the world in on my amazing life in Oregon.

While I was typing this blog I scratched my butt three times...

I guess I should have a purpose to my blog so I will teach you something amazing each and every day,

Today will be How to skip a rock.

If you ever aspire to be a serious outdoorsperson (or at least have the appearance of one), then you need to know how to skip rocks. Even if you don't beat the Guinness World Record of 51 skips in one throw, you'll likely impress children when you skip stones like a pro.

1. Find a mostly flat water surface with a good supply of rocks. Lake shores or calm areas of rivers are best. Ocean beaches aren't good because of the waves (however small) unless it's a very calm bay. If you do choose to skip stones on rough water, you'll need to adapt your technique to using a slightly heavier stone, which is more likely to plough through a wave and maintain a steady course.

2. Select your rock. Look for a skinny, flat and round rock about the size of your palm, which is just heavy enough to be immune to breezes and turbulence, but still light enough to be thrown with accuracy. Try to find the thinnest rock possible. The smoother and flatter the stone, the better it'll skip across the surface of the water without breaking the surface tension. However, the world record holder for rock skipping admits that a perfectly round and smooth stone is too slippery to hold; he prefers a stone with a chip or a bump that he can grip so that he can get the most spin. It's also possible that a rock with lots of small pits on the surface reduces water drag in the same way that the many dimples on a reduce air drag. Try out different kinds of stones and see what works best for you.

3. Put your index finger against the edge of the rock. Hold the flat sides of the rock with your thumb on one side and your middle finger on the other. This is just one way to hold the stone; what matters, ultimately, is that you can send the stone spinning in a straight line with the flat end almost parallel to the water.

4. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart facing sideways to the water, with your non-dominant side closest to the water's edge. Squat down close to the water so that when you throw, your rock will be close to parallel with the surface of the water. Scientists have found that the ideal angle between the stone and the water is 20 degrees; any less than that, and the friction slows it down; any more than that, and it cuts the water and sinks. If you're tall, you might find yourself making the angle too wide, in which case you can compensate by throwing the stone faster.

5. Flick your rock across the surface with a sharp movement of the wrist. It's similar to throwing a Frisbee. Throw it as fast as you can without losing form. Angle and spin are more important than speed. The world record holder has been observed to employ a baseball pitcher’s windup with a sidearm release and a strong follow through.

6. Keep trying. If the stones bounce off the water and go high in the air, you're probably throwing it down too close to yourself (making a wide angle between the stone and the water); try throwing it so the first skip is further away from you. That's because the force of the water pushes the rock up, and with too much force, it goes too far up then comes down at a sharp angle and sinks. If you throw it too far, though, the stone will "surf" across the surface of the water (rather than skip) and the friction will slow the rock's momentum and cause it to sink.



I feel much better now, Thanx for letting me into your life...