When we were living in the San Francisco Bay Area and told people we were retiring to the Sierra foothills near Sacramento, the first thing everyone said is, “You know it’s hot there in the summer, right?” I always said, well, we’ve lived in some hot places:
- Cairo, Egypt
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Fort Worth, Texas
I think we can hang in the heat.
Dale and I are now experiencing our first summer in the foothills, and everyone was right.
It’s hot.
We are hanging, but I have had to make a few changes, probably because I was a good bit younger when I bragged about being able to hang in the heat.
If I’m not finished with my walk before 11 a.m., I probably won’t be walking. We love our swimming pool and take a dip after dinner most nights. It’s so nice to get in bed after your body has been chilled down in the pool. I normally walk when I play golf, but I’ve started using a cart. Compromises must be made.
Golf does not have the intensity of a sport like long-distance running, but you’re out there four or five hours, and the heat takes its toll. I played this week when it was 104, and my partner had to quit at the turn because she felt so weak. I hung in there, drinking shitloads of water, but it’s like you can’t really get enough. My weight can drop three to five pounds from a single round of golf in the heat. It takes me two days to replace those fluids.
I finally realized I’m probably not drinking enough, and I’m not replacing electrolytes. I went to REI and bought these little low-sugar fizzy tablets by Nuun. You drop one in 16 ounces of water, it fizzes away and makes a light, refreshing drink packed with the stuff your body needs. I love the taste, and I feel 100 percent better since I started drinking it. I just ordered more from Amazon.
Dehydration is a common problem among older adults, and it just gets worse if you are active and sweat a lot. I’ve been drinking the electrolyte beverage as part of my hot weather exercise routine, but I’m wondering if I should keep it up all year as a preventive measure. I can’t see that 16 ounces a day (plus plenty of plain water) would hurt.
What I have found surprising about the heat is how my thoughts have turned to seasonal changes. When I was working, I pretty much thought about work all the time. Weather was just a distraction. In retirement, I spend a lot of time outdoors, and the weather is part of my daily life.
I like the dry, California heat and will be sad when the season is over. I like shorts, sandals, skimpy tops. Long days and no rain. The pool! White nectarines. Crisp cucumbers from the garden. Cold gazpacho. Oh, and farmer’s market strawberries, I’ll miss you most of all.
But then I think about autumn – and how great it will feel when things start to cool off. Hot soup, hearty casseroles, staying in bed on a rainy morning, hanging out all day in my jammies or walking a round of golf on a crisp afternoon. It’s not about wishing away summer but learning to enjoy the moment and appreciate seasonal changes.
I’ve always sort of steamrolled through life, and it took retirement to help me slow down and savor experiences. I haven’t even been retired a full year, but I could not go back to a pressure-cooker job. I’d rather learn to hang in the heat. How about you?