Anyone else struggle in this hot weather?

[Jevster]

Looking at the forecast it looks like it's gonna be another scorcher of a week and I'm finding it really hard as the heat just drains the life out of me and leaves me dehydrated after sweating like a pig.

It doesn't help being out delivering during the hottest part of day and I'm surprised people haven't being off with heat exhaustion yet.

Obviously being British I like to whinge about the weather whatever it is but I can honestly say I found the snow easier to deal with!

[Lounge Lizard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPnJM3zWfUo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[clashcityrocker]

Prevention of Dehydration
The average person loses between two and three litres of water a day through the breath, sweat, and urine. This number can increase or decrease based on the types of activities that a person engages in. Heavy exercise can cause a body to lose more than 2 litres an hour! To prevent dehydration you simply need to replenish the liquids that are lost throughout the day. Many resources and sites will tell you to drink 8 glasses of water a day, or give you a set number of litres to drink but the honest truth is that every BODY is different and only you will know how much your BODY needs.

Only YOU can know how much water YOU need to be at your best. Thats right, WATER. Not soda, not juice, not sugar-drinks. Pay attention to your fluid loss and take special care to replenish it as it is being lost. By the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated - you want to avoid becoming thirsty in the first place. Pay attention to the color of your urine, dark urine is usually an indicator that you are dehydrated. Drink more water.

[DGP1]

I'm really starting to struggle, it's a good job the mail is slightly down to enable me to cope. I'm currently going through 2l per day (and it's not lasting so I'm going to have to increase it).

[Jevster]

I try to drink more water but there's only so much you can take out with you and drink before you're bursting for a jimmy riddle all the time. Bit of a catch 22 situation.

[DGP1]

I try to drink more water but there's only so much you can take out with you and drink before you're bursting for a jimmy riddle all the time. Bit of a catch 22 situation.

Empty bottles help

[Jevster]

Empty bottles help

Lol I've done that before!

[DGP1]

Empty bottles help

Lol I've done that before!

Just don't use a Lucozade bottle a mix up is a disaster

[krussel]

Empty bottles help

Lol I've done that before!

Aye the old posties trick

The worst is a light day but having to wait for the last missort run when you may get nothing at all but it can add 30 mins on your day. Then there's lapsing on top.

[Jevster]

Well I did try and pass it off to my girlfriend as limeade but she was having none of it!

[DGP1]

Well I did try and pass it off to my girlfriend as limeade but she was having none of it!

Limeade unless that's changed since I was young - it's green and if you're peeing green then your either very ill or one of the Lizard people that David Icke is talking about

[krussel]

but she was having none of it!

The more for you buddy, cheers

[Jevster]

When I've been holding it all day it gets quite a dark yellow or greenish colour, maybe I am one of the lizard people? You'd better hold your tongue you talking monkey!! Sssssssssssss

[clashcityrocker]

"Holding it all day" is not healthy.
If your urine is a dark colour this is a sure indication that you are dehydrated.
This is seriously unhealthy.
If you are slightly dehydrated you become confused and you are likely to make mistakes.
Very dehydrated and you end up in hospital or in the morgue.

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

Its this recent ongoing weather that makes me think the "you must take 20 minutes of your meal relief before starting your walk" rule an absolute joke...

Why would I want to take 2/3 of my break within 2 hours of my start time (even worse on Tuesdays when its ~45 mins to bundle up with a later start of 0930), to then only have 10 minutes left to use during a walk typically 4-5 hours long, rather than taking at least half my meal relief half way around my walk?

Not only does taking the break half way around the walk better comply with Employment Law about breaks for part-timers (it should be in the middle of your working day, not at the start or end), but it also means we have more opportunity to get the walk done when its cooler in the morning and then enable us to take our legally entitled break(s) to escape the "midday sun!"

We have an A1board by the main doors going on about 20 minutes meal relief before going out (we were verbally told half our break some weeks previous... the DOM then even tried to say that our break entitlement was based solely on our contracted hours, not on how long our sift is on a specific day, another verbal diarrhea moment by our manager with the god complex), everbody must now return to the depot after completing the walk, plus nobody goes out before "right of way" is called.

I decided to jokingly mention it on Saturday to my very approachable line manager... I asked if "right of way" had been called on Saturday, as I filled in my prep overtime claim after completing the round just after midday, to which I was effectively told to jokingly shut my trap. I then said I had to confess that I did not take any meal relief before starting the walk at 0800, but everything would be ok, as Meatloaf said that "two out of three ain't bad!"