Outside workers.

[Wally Gator]

If your main job finds you outside all day, you have my sympathy. A half hour of simple chores here at 10am and my shirt, socks, and waistband are drenched with sweat. How are you getting by on this long, hot summer?

[guitarpkr67]

Lots of water! I actually work in a shop with no a/c. So I am in the Shade, but with a heat index of over 100 I will start sweating just sitting down. I just drink lots of water and try to make regular trip in the office where there is a/c.

[nodata2000]

I'd gladly trade if someone wants to sit in a cube and stare at a monitor all day

[pickaguitar]

My high school minimum wage outside job was lifetimes more rewarding than my career in a cubicle.

[guitmatt]

Drink LOTS of water, we stop about every 15-20 min for a drink of water. It's around 94 degrees here with about 92 percent humidity in the peak of summer. If it is all that you have ever done, you get used to it. Each summer gets a little more difficult with age I'm finding out though.

[ACfixer]

The fact that every time my phone rings it sounds like a cash register helps.

[HooBass]

I've been watching a couple of young men putting down zoysia sod in a neighbor's yard today (I work from a home office), and I can see it's HARD work -- I can imagine even harder but these guys look beat and it's "only" 12:35 right now.

I have NOT seen them hydrating or taking many breaks, so indeed I think they're goig about this pretty wrong. Based on their clothes (for that's worth) I think they're college kids on a summer job. Either way, yuck!

HooBass

[Dog Boy]

I've worked outside before and all I learned was I didn't want to do that for a living!

[The_Whale]

I kept my hair real short, and frequently doused my head with water.

Big Gulps from 7-Eleven with lots of ice helped too.

[Telecaster62]

My son works on the facilities crew here at the University where I work. When I see him from my office window it makes me glad I stayed in school and got my degree. LOL

[A-Frame]

Originally Posted by Dog Boy

I've worked outside before and all I learned was I didn't want to do that for a living!

Weather's always good in here.

[AnchorHoy]

Originally Posted by Wally Gator

How are you getting by on this long, hot summer?

Same old, same old

From what I've learned over the years, there are a couple of things that are absolutely vital:

1 - What you drink and how much is important. Soda is bad news and so is beer. Gatorade isn't much better IMHO - foul tasting stuff that gives me rotgut. YMMV *shrug*. I'm a big believer in plain water or fairly weak home-made iced tea. Chugging large quantities of anything is another no-no. Frequent sips of liquid all day is a much better deal, and keep this up whether or not you actually feel thirsty at the moment. By the time you actually feel thirsty, you're a little too late

2 - Pace yourself. What the average cubicle rat calls "lazy" I call "survival strategy". I can get just as much (and frequently more) physical labor done over the course of the day by slowing down a bit and working for longer periods, as opposed to the average kid who alternates between frenzied bursts of effort and long breaks to recover from same. Put simply: keep moving at a steady and sustainable pace

3 - Economy of motion. This only comes with experience. Wasting moves when performing a task adds up, especially when it's really hot. If you can combine tasks in some way, do it. If not, then find the most efficient way possible to do the task at hand. Even something as simple as operating a shovel can be a thing of beauty if you never spill any dirt (waste of effort) on the way up and hit your target perfectly every time on the way down (ditto). One accurate hit with a sledge is worth more than 10 misses. And so on

Break's Over!
Now get your ass moving