Don't Sweat It

We have a sliver of a backyard with a 30 ft jungle covered wall on one side and the back side of our house on the other. Because of the house the backyard is shaded most of the day which creates a slightly cooler atmosphere for the kids to play in. That and the fact that I don't have to slather them from head to toe with Sunblock (The UV index in Taiwan is very high and very dangerous most days from May through August) makes this a fun place to play.
On this scalding midmorning I discovered my little crew of artists were giving the backyard a makeover. And yes, that is like a wool beanie Kohen is wearing, it's his favorite. He wasn't taking it off. Anyway, they painted away for literally hours. I checked on them often and had them keep hydrated, but I am telling you, in this heat there really is just nothing that helps if you have to be in it.
Sweat beading down their bright red faces doesn't seem to phase them, at least not enough to come in. And that my friends is where I draw the line. I go inside to bask in the glorious A/C and keep an eye on them from the window.

So what, you may wonder, does one do when they need to exercise in such a hot and humid place. Simple answer? SUFFER.

I have recently started running a bit- infrequently- because exercising in the best of conditions is not my fave, so add Dante's inferno and imagine where my attitude goes (here's a hint *flush*).

The humidity is the killer. I looked it up on Wikipedia ergo I'm pretty much an expert. Normally our bodies cool us off by sweating, right? Well, humidity essentially disables your body from sweating properly, making it difficult -if not impossible- for your body to cool you off like it should.

I came home from running the other night and told Nathan that never before had I been so tempted to tear my clothes off in a public setting before. Seriously! It felt like I was suffocating and every where that cloth was touching my skin felt like when you stand too close to the camp fire- I just wanted it off! Possibly my skin too. I mean when you feel like you are burning from the inside out, somethings got to give.

I have never been one to blush or have much of a flushed face from exertion, but check out what I look like after my non-impressive run + 6-8 min drive home in a highly air conditioned car:

I heart humidity.