Don’t settle for riding out summer’s heat wave indoors. With new technology in fabric design and everyday casual alternatives, you and your family can maintain an active lifestyle while staying cool and dry all season long.

Out With the Old, In With the New
Running through the sprinkler isn’t the only way to endure the hottest months of the year. Appropriate activewear allows you to take full advantage of the outdoors, whether you bike, run, or just play hard. Manufacturers have developed breathable fabrics fashioned for quick cooling and drying. Brands such as Nike Dri-FIT, Under Armour HeatGear, and Champion Double Dry are woven with synthetic fibers that are engineered to wick away moisture from the skin. “When sweat remains in your shirt next to your skin, it interferes with evaporation and cooling,” says Connie Tyne, executive director of the Cooper Wellness Program in Dallas. With these high-tech fabrics, sweat is transported to the fabric’s surface for quick evaporation, an essential element for wetness protection.

Lighten Up
There are other options in your closet that can help you survive the dog days of summer. Your casual wear can provide you the same satisfaction as the newer activewear designs and won’t slow you down when you are out and about in the midday sun. A loose-fitting, lightweight garment allows for more air circulation to create a natural cooling effect. Light-colored fabrics reflect sunlight and heat from your body. Fabrics that contain polyester have moisture-wicking abilities to keep sweating to a bare minimum. Clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton is another basic alternative because it allows your skin to breathe. These options can provide long-lasting comfort to help withstand the rising temperatures.

Sun Savvy
Here are a few other great tips for staying safe in the scorching heat.
• Protect the neck. Studies show that keeping the carotid arteries in your neck cool protects you from heat stress and can even lower your heart rate. Try draping your shoulders with a towel especially made to keep this area cool (www.coolpouch.com).
• Know your UPF. A growing trend in the clothing industry is to design materials with a high Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) to measure how many UV rays a fabric can block. The fabrics are treated with chemical UV absorbers to create built-in sun protection. Choose clothing with a high UPF such as 50 because it only allows in 1?50 of the sun’s UV rays. Those with a low UPF, such as 5, let in 1?5 of the rays.
• Don’t forget your pet. When a shady tree and a cool bowl of water aren’t enough, give Fido a Cooling Bandana designed to guard him from the heat (www.drsfostersmith.com).

Healthy Benefits
• Clothing designed to wick away moisture from the skin reduces the risk of heat exhaustion by regulating body temperature.
• Polyester clothes designed to keep you dry don’t need much, if any, time in the dryer, making them a great energy saver.

"Be Cool" is from the June 2008 issue of Southern Living.