Derval O'Rourke: Tips to keep healthy and hydrated in the heat

School is finishing up and it is officially summertime. This summer will be different for me, for the past few years I’ve spent chunks of the summer filming the TV show Ireland’s Fittest Family. I recently made the decision to take the summer off from that work and spend my time with the kids and doing my own work with Derval.ie. This week I’ll share my summer tips and I also have a great tasty lunch that you can bring with you to the beach!

Here’s a really interesting fact for you. Did you know that by the time your brain tells you that you’re thirsty, you are already on the road to being dehydrated? When we are dehydrated, we can’t think straight, often we get headaches, our concentration drops and if it goes on too long, we can even faint. This is why drinking small amounts often is the key to your summer being much easier. The heat can really affect our mood even more so than the cold. With the cold, we can keep adding layers until we feel warm. With the heat, there’s only so many layers we can take off and yet still feel too hot!