Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke when Exercising – Symptoms, Treatment and Precaution

The heat is on………….

May and June are usually the hottest months in Singapore. Humidity and heat can really dampen one’s outdoor activity but with enough precautions, enjoy your outing!

This blog’s posting has been reduced somewhat while I concentrate more on cycling these days. It is enjoyable to cycle but after a few encounters with heat exhaustion and ultimately the beginnings of  heat stroke, this article is as much to share information and also as a reminder for myself.

Heat exhaustion comes about when your core body temperature exceeds 37 degrees celsius.

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Heavy sweating with cold, clammy skin
• Continuous thirst
• Muscle aches and cramps
• Confusion, anxiety or agitation
• Slow or weak heartbeats
• Fainting

If heat exhaustion continues without treatment, heat stroke follows. Core body temperature could reach above 40 degrees celsius. Extreme heat stroke is a medical emergency. Get treatment and help immediately.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Hot, dry and clammy skin
• Breathless with rapid heart rate
• Reduced sweating
• Confusion and delirium
• Convulsions
• unconsciousness

What to do when you encounter these symptoms? Treatment for Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke 

• Drink that isotonic drink, followed by water if you have them
• Find shelter or a shady area immediately
• Remove your hat or helmet and gloves
• Remove socks and shoes also if possible
• If wearing knee guards, elbow bandage, etc remove them immediately
• If wearing loose, long sleeve shirts, roll sleeve till elbow to provide better ventilation
• If nearby a toilet, wash face, neck, arms and legs with water
• Pour water over your head to cool down
• If you have a towel, handkerchief or bandanna, soak with water and put on face, neck or head
• If nearby toilets with showers, get wet now!
• If having stomach cramp with extreme thirst, avoid cold water especially from water cooler as this may induce phlegm and instigate vomiting. If no choice, just use tap water
• If symptoms continues, get help! Or call friends or family to pick you up. If alone, get help from people nearby. Call or flag a cab (useful for foldable bikes or bikes with quick release wheels)
• Once home, get into the shower immediately, then drink liquid continuously, get some quick digestible, energy filling food and rest!
• For heat stroke especially, very important to seek treatment immediately. Worst case scenario, call an ambulance! If a person is lying down or unconscious, remove hat or helmet and elevate feet. Cool down by placing wet towel on head, neck, armpits and groin

Those treatment suggestion comes from personal experience. We all have our ebb and flow in energy level. Know your strength and weaknesses. Build stamina by slowly increasing the distance over time. Those taking medicines like diuretics, antihistamines, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, some medications for heart and blood pressure medications, anti-depression medications are more prone to heat exhaustion.

Additional, bring along sweets or lozenges for that quick sugar rush to counter that dizziness. Medicated oil can help to treat nausea and relieve muscle cramps. Even if you are jogging or cycling nearby your home, always good to bring your handphone, a few dollars and cents for venting machine, bus or cab fare, your IC, atm or credit card for emergency money. You never know when you may need them.

While the temperature is climbing and humidity is cloaking the air, take care while walking, running or cycling outdoors.

How to Avoid Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke When Hiking, Jogging or Cycling

• Exercise very early or late – before 10am or after 6pm
• Wear light coloured, light weight and fast drying clothes so sweat evaporate fast – avoid cotton
• Bring water and an isotonic drink along
• Research and plan your route – find out locations of water points and toilet – when to stop and turn back
• Find out the weather forecast for that day
• For those wearing baseball hats or caps, such hats have little ventilation, trap heat and worsen heat exhaustion. Remove them from time to time to air your head
• Trust your gut instinct – if something don’t feel right, listen! Either stop, turn back or change plan immediately

Cycling at Punggol Road

If you face that situation, on your own, feels like the distance home is so so far away….. Think of your family, friends or whatever keeps you going. Break down the distance to home in stages.

Think of one landmark on the route, example, that toilet around the next bend. March on and when you reach it, think of the next goal – maybe that food court at Changi Village. Next goal and the next one. So on and so on. Always remember to sip water continuously along the way. Stop if you must, take that 5 minutes break at a bus stop. For those who cycle, push the bike to conserve energy uphill if necessary.

When cycling, I do find that flat terrain use up more energy than undulating slopes. Or maybe it is just personal preference and fitness level. I would rather cycle along the slopes of Yio Chu Kang and Mandai Road than the Coastal Road and ECP. Part of the reason – there is no need to cycle downhill so there is time for recovery. So if you have a tendency for heat exhaustion like me, choose a route that best fit you.

So take care everyone while outdoors. Prevention is always better than cure. Be safe.

Relates Link
Understanding Heat-Related Illness — Symptoms
Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
Heat Exhaustion
Understanding Heat Stroke
Heat Stroke
Medications and Summertime Heat

The ABCs of Taking It Easy – 5 Tips

Take it easy, be happy!

How many times have you come back from vacation and need another few days to rest from the vacation? Sounds familiar? Hmmm…some suggestions for consideration.

1. Plan Your Own Vacation

Instead of taking a package tour, why not plan your own vacation. No doubt it is a longer process as you have to do your own research and decide what you want to do within your budget. The good thing for such a plan – you are your own boss. Wake up as early or late as you wish. This is versus the pain of early wake-up calls for a package tour.

2. Don’t Plan Any Itinieary

This may be contradictory to point one. May be more suitable for personality types who think on the fly and make fast decisions as opposed to anxious personalities who have to plan every single thing from start to finish. But hey, be adventurous for once – do things outside of your comfort zone. You may just discover you are stronger than you think you are. Liberate the inner independent soul. Just decide what to do on that particular day and just do it!

3. Travel Light

Bring along only the barest essentials and two days of clothing. Make sure they are fast drying clothes. Recycle and wash for the next dressing. More room for shopping. Your shoulders and hands will thank you.

4. Don’t Rush

Easier said than done. The feet are so used to walking fast in catching the train or the bus. Slow down. Take slower steps and stroll instead. Hold hands. Breathe slowly. It is vacation time, not work mode.

5. Eat Light, Eat Full

On holidays, the comfort food of home will not always be there. Open your mind and palate and sample the local dishes. Eat smaller portions so the stomach will not get a sudden shock. Drink constantly to prevent dehydration. If hungry between meals, buy some snacks like fruits and nuts.

Take it easy on your vacation!

Raffles City Chinese New Year Deco

I mentioned about the Chinese New Year decorations in Raffles City Shopping Mall in the last post. Here are the pictures. I must say the management did a great job in renovating the mall keeping up with the times. There are more retail space now – all the better for shopping.

Love the skyroof. The first level are mostly branded goods – I just love window shopping. At the basement the water fountain is a great place to take a breather and people watch. Higher up, just look down and see the action below.  I noticed more guys were outside the stores and leaning against the railing. Your ladies having fun shopping, guys?

There are now two ways in the direction of Suntec City with the opening of the Circle Line MRT. Everything is underground so no worries for rain.

Taking pictures of the mall seem to be my new obsession. While doing that, “Hey! Let’s shop”.

Till next post, are you ready for Chinese New Year?

 

Chinese New Year Deco at Raffles City Shopping Mall

Pink Banners - Spring in the City - at Raffles City Shopping Mall

Red Latterns hanging from the Skyroof - Raffles City Shopping Mall

Window Shopping in Orchard Road

Window Display at CK Tang, Orchard

Pictures from the second night shoot did not turn out so well. However, I did find an excellent spot for taking pictures of the Christmas Lights in Orchard Road. The lights are on till 3 January 2011 so hopefully I can do another night shoot.

Singapore is an excellent place to do shopping. I read in a blog that there are 200 malls here. Really? Wow. In any case, if you don’t have the money to spend, just window shop. That’s what I normally do in Orchard Road. Some of the stores have excellent window displays – beautiful art form. Kudos to the people who do this for a living.

These are some of the photos. Window display taken from CK Tang, Takashimaya, ION Orchard, Chanel, Coach, Replay. The combo display of shoes, bag and accessories I can’t identify at the moment since there is no brand display – will update once I have the information.

I normally do my shopping after Christmas or after New Year, that’s when stores are clearing stock and there are plenty of bargains to be had.

Have fun shopping and a Merry Christmas to everyone! Happy Holidays!

Related post on Orchard Road

• 2010 Xmas Lights in Orchard Road
• Xmas Shopping in Orchard Road
  

Sale

Bags and Shoes on Sale

Cutie display - can you guess which brand?

Love those accessories!

2010 Xmas Lights in Orchard Road

Crowd in Orchard Road during Xmas Light Up

Bright lights shining in the city……..

The rain stopped for a while and I finally managed to get that night photos of the Christmas lights up in Orchard Road, Singapore.

Even on a weekday, the crowd was unbelievable. Hard to get a good spot. Challenging lights conditions. Best to take a tripod but I felt already inconspicuous with that jostling for space.

Will try to get more pictures later. This was just a recce.

This next time, have a Merry Christmas!

Edit : Add up more pictures below. At the end is a Youtube video, courtesy of jamcansing. Excellent quality. Feeling so nostalgic .

Christmas at ION Orchard

Christmas at Paragon

Crowd in Orchard Road, waiting for traffic sign to turn red

 

Street Performance/Buskers along Takashismaya/Ngee Ann City walkway

Christmas Tree outside Paragon

 

Christmas Tree at ION Orchard

Billboard at ION Orchard

Shaw House/Tower - night landscape in Singapore

Excellent video for the 2010 Christmas Light Up in Singapore, courtesy of jamcansing. HD quality complete with music. Thumbs up!

http://www.youtube.com/v/klcoW6uVEpI?fs=1&hl=en_US

Xmas Shopping in Orchard Road

Christmas Lightings in Paragon Shopping Mall

I took a day off today to take pictures at Orchard Road. This is quite a departure. Mostly I am into landscape photography. Today, it was crowd watching and mall shopping pictures.

December is not the best of time to take sky-blue pictures in South-East Asia. It is the monsoon season and more times than not, it is overcast skies and bringing an umbrella along is a must.

That said, interior shots can still be done and those malls are really gearing up for Christmas. Best of times to take photographs – at night when the lights shine and it has almost a Las Vegas feel to it.  Cities everywhere around the world are lighting up with Christmas decorations.

So these are the photos taken today. The top picture is taken at Paragon, in Orchard Road, Singapore. Really love the lighted balls. So pretty. Orchard Road – no matter what seasons, weekdays or weekends – are always crowded. More pictures below.

Till next time, have fun shopping for Christmas!

Xmas Deco at Paragon

Christmas Tree at Takashimaya

Christmas Sale at ION

5 Favourite Cities of the World

 

Singapore City Landscape

Obviously not everyone is going to agree. Do you prefer the city or the rural area? Personally I would prefer living somewhere as far away from the city as possible. However living in the city does have its advantages, namely great infrastructures, convenience, endless variety of food, the arts and big shopping malls. I don’t deny being a shopaholic.

My top 5 favourite cities :

1. San Francisco. I love the crooked streets and who can forget the San Francisco Bridge. Shopping there is simply great.
2. Sydney. It reminds me a bit of home. I have friends and family there – so many memories. As a bonus, the Opera House is spectacular. Will always remember Chinatown area where I met my online buddies from a Lord of the Rings forum.
3. Kuala Lumpur. So many shopping malls there. Plenty of food stalls with reasonable prices. Go up the Petronas Twin Towers – awesome view of the city.
4. Istanbul. Bridging both Europe and Asia continent. Such a great mixture of history, culture and modernisation. Don’t forget to visit the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia.
   
5. Singapore. You may call me bias but this is home. A shopaholic and food paradise. The Merlion is touted as the tourism symbol. There are others of noteworthy mentions. Will cover on that later.

So, do you have any favourites? Till then, take care!

Travelling Solo – Tips for Fighting the Blues

Travelling solo gives you so much freedom to do the things you want. That said, melancholy sometimes come unexpectedly. More so if you have been to a place with your family and the next time you travel there, memories circle in your mind. But you don’t have to let the blues pull you down.

So here are some suggestions in beating the blues when you travel alone :

• Bring along a photo of your family. It will keep you close and warm at heart.

• Spray your favourite perfume on a handkerchief or a piece of clothe. Sense has a way of making you feel good.

• Call your love ones. It is not always possible in mountainous region when phone signals are blocked.

• If you have internet connections, IM or ICQ or Tweet. Keep on connecting and you won’t feel so much alone.

• Bring along your MP3 player and play your favourite songs. Music is always a healer.
• If your handphone has this function, record a video of your family. If not have this video send to your phone. It is even better if it is something funny so you can laugh.
• Read. Bring along a book to read so your mind focus on something not dwell on negative things.
• Have a warm bath. Take along those wonderful smelling bath gel or soap and soak in the bath. Soothe yourself and relax.
• Exercise. Exercise release endorphin and that fight the blues. If you don’t like going to the hotel gym, just do light warm up exercise in your room. It is startling how a 10 minute exercise can elevate your mood.
• Massage. No need to call a therapist. Do a self massage. Use both your little fingers, start from the bridge of your nose, slowly gliding in small circles to your forehead and the rest of your face. Actually rubbing scented lotion to your body is already a form of massage.
• Game. Bring along your game set. Or your phone has lots of games to play. This requires concentration and coordination and that refocus your mind.
• Crocheting or knitting. This may not be your cup of tea but I always find crocheting relaxing. This doesn’t take much space. At the end of your trip, you may have completed a piece of craft.
• Crossword puzzle. Some newspapers have them or you can buy a book of crossword puzzle to occupy your time. Again this doesn’t take much space in your luggage.

In winter, there is less sunlight hours. Some people can easily get affected by the lack of sunlight. Know yourself and if weather can affect your mood, try not to travel alone during these times.

Hope these tips help you along. Remember, being on your own doesn’t mean you have to be lonely.

Stay bright and cheerful!

The Digital Age

Image via Wikipedia

I used to work in advertising, travel and tourism industry and I remember the days of bromide and color separations. Now, I am not even sure if those printing methods are still in practice today. Films have moved to digital cameras. Similarly so does storage and so many other things.

Do you still buy travel magazines and keep those slides from film cameras? Or have you simply rely on the internet for information and have switched to digital cameras? Sony retired the Walkman and so another technological evolution has gone to pasture. What is next?

Now, photographers or a journalists for that matter, have an easier time transferring photos and news to headquarters or their employers. Touch a button and presto! The goods are delivered without them having to leave their location.

In the advertising and marketing world, budgets are planned at least a year ahead and ad space in magazines and other media are booked very early too. Near the holidays seasons, editorial coverage run side by side with ads campaign and I always look forward to these period because magazines are much thicker than usual. I still have my National Geographic and other travel magazines from years ago. Flipping through glossy pages, feeling nostalgic at those days of simply dreaming and wondering if I will ever visit those places mentioned.

What I am trying to convey here is, much as I love the digital age, there are some things still golden to me. E-books and e-magazines may save more trees but I will truly miss them if there are no more magazines or newspapers. On digital cameras, I love you – you give me wings to fly, literally!

Have a fun weekend, peeps!

Obsession, obsession, obsession, thy my downfall!

I confess. I am ruled by my obsessions.

How many pair of shoes can a woman have? Never too many! There is the purple and blue hiking boots, another pair in brown, yet another in waterproof green. That is not counting the wedges in gold, bronze and black pairs, four inch platforms in cream, blue and white. Then there are comfortable flat sandals and slippers. I could go on and on….

And a gal need a matching bag. The sporty and the working professional looks need different styles of bags. Weekends are for the haversacks. Weekdays are for the hand bags, in varieties and colours. Looking for one with a tassle, I finally found one in salmon pink at an Isetan sale, together with a Perllini sling bag.

Accessories can make or break an outfit. To this day, I still don’t understand how I progress from buying custom jewellery to making one. Perhaps the flexibility of dismantling and assembling them? Hmm…There was even a time when I sold my creations on ebay. 

Now books. J D Robb and Christine Feehan are automatic buy. Ongoing series, complex stories, multiple mysteries. Lost in the literacy world – I need to know the ending, dang it!

Magazines – what would I do without you? Her World, Female, Simply Her. Pretty outfits, beauty tips and of course the freebies!

Reality TVs are here to stay I’m afraid. Who can escape American Idol – the most popular reality show I believe. My favourites – Adam Lambert, David Cooke and for a time, Clay Aiken.

On that note, Adam Lambert was here in Feb 2010 in Singapore doing an Acoustic Tour. No tickets were sold. I was one of the lucky people with the winning number by buying the CD. The concert was held at the Universal Studio in Sentosa when it was not officially opened yet. So we were among the lucky people to get first look at Universal Studio. Adam Lambert, along with others like Daughtry, Missy Eliot and Mariah Carey will be here for the F1 Concert in Singapore from 25 – 26 Sept 2010. Two shows from Adam Lambert : 25 and 26 Sept 2010. Yummy! Still haven’t decided if I should go or not, I hate large crowd!

Yes, my obsessions. You give me wings to fly and at times dug me underground.