Living Without A/C

It is getting hot here in SC with temperatures in the mid to high 80's. Summer will be here before we know it. And I am embarking on a radical experiment. I am living without air conditioning.

Because of my work, I am in a climate controlled environment for much of the day. This is no big deal until I have to be outside to do anything. From past experience, I can tell you it isn't pretty. I start to get lighthead and dizzy. My energy drops quick. In short, air conditioning makes me a pussy in hot weather.

I used to work a great deal in the heat. I used to clean out septic systems and install them in hot South Carolina weather. I have worked stacking hay and straw in hot fields where ants would invade your water supply as soon as it hit the ground. I have worked in a hot warehouse in Florida stacking boxes in trailers that got over 120 degrees. I used to eat that shit up. I was hard core. Now, heat is my kryptonite.

My answer is to turn off the a/c in my car and apartment and try to exercise in the middle of the day on weekends. Air conditioning makes you weak. Heat makes you strong. It takes about 7 to 10 days to acclimate, and it lasts for two weeks. As I type this, it is 86 degrees in my apartment, and I hardly notice it.

Do I recommend this for everyone? YES! I would advise drinking plenty of water, but it helps you to just get used to hot weather. My plan is to maintain no A/C all summer long except for special circumstances. I have done this before with no ill effect. You end up feeling a lot better.

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NOTES

1. http://www.answers.com/topic/heat-acclimatization

2. http://www.usariem.army.mil/Pages/download/heatacclimatizationguide.pdf

3. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/garden/23air.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

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