How survive the heatwave, stylishly

Really feeling the burn? This is my guide to surviving the heat wave without looking like a human puddle.
1. Join the movement, slowly   Reject your bustling city ways, slow down. Move slowly, no, even slower than that. When placing one foot in front of the other results in a Niagara-style flood of sweat, from every pore, that’s surely nature’s way of reminding us to slow down. We’ve had slow food, slow chocolate, now why no start slow movement and make like our cousins living around the med or the Equator and just. Slow. Down. In fact, take a nap, right now.
2. Looking good   Summer weather is a style nightmare. There you are, not wanting to let anything actually touch your skin (except perhaps blotting paper) whilst also wanting to look fierce, fab and foxy for those gorgeous summer gatherings. What’s a girl to do?
Go simple to go stylish. How about cool, breezy trapeze tops with the wide leg of a palazzo pants ensemble? Or perhaps an elegantly un-tailored dress? The empire line look has the added benefit of giving you a chance to catch any breeze that does happen by under your skirt. Look for natural fibres, cotton, silk are your friends. If your thing is activewear, look out for moisture wicking and cool fabrics like bamboo. Less is more (and, in this case) much, much cooler.
3. Shred calories without the burn   Not letting your new-found melting point stop your fitness goals in their tracks? I get it, you are still working on the summer bod, even though I’m sure that you already look fantastic. Rather than crushing your usual no-holds-barred workout, try something less intense, but still challenging. Drop the weights for yoga, Pilates and stretching exercises. Classes like this will benefit from the body already being warm (think of the heat where yoga originated), mind-body based classes, encouraging slow, mindful movement are having their moment now. Who knows, you might well find a new fitness passion.
3. Don’t cook, won’t cook    Its 4000 degrees out there, no one wants to recreate a Hieronymus Bosh painting and stand in front of a hot stove/oven. You know that salads can be filling, nutritious and delicious. From the Nicoise to the feta mixed bean, there are lots of ways to fill yourselves up with healthy and good food without donating to global warming. Ask chef Google for some inspiration. Don’t forget, sorbet: it’s one of your five-a-day after all.
4. Don’t sleep in the fridge    Shower before bed, use a zingy and refreshing body wash, tea tree, eucalyptus  (lavender thrown in might be an idea too) or something citrusy. When you get to the bed having medium thread count cotton sheets are going to help. A high thread count on your luxury Egyptian cotton will make you hotter than hot, because the close weave is not so breathable. Stick to something from 200-400 thread count and keep your room super cool to help you stay securely in the land of nod.

5. Get the drink in   Let’s face it, with these temperatures we are more likely to sweat buckets than perspire or even glow, so make sure that you are staying well watered. Dehydration will leave you looking flatter than a deflated bouncy castle, not-to-mention leaving you feeling exhausted.

So for perfectly effortless living, whilst your environment feels like the surface of Mars, look after your wellbeing by slowly doing little, being stylish, enjoying fruity showers and drinking,  those are the top tips for surviving the British heat wave. If none of these work for you don’t forget, Wimbledon is starting soon, so the rain will be along any minute now.

Stay cool. Be well. Be happy.

What do you think?
