Weekend gardeners who work in air-conditioned offices or
homes all week may get hit
hard by summer heat. They just aren’t used to it.

"Gardeners need to be in good shape for the heat, just
like athletes," said
Wayne McLaurin, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia
Extension Service.

The human body needs time to adapt to working in the heat,
whether you’re running a
marathon or weeding petunias. And you can’t rush the process.

"The body needs to adapt to levels of work and
heat," McLaurin said. "As
it adapts, it improves the stability of the circulatory system
and the balance of salt in
the body. Don’t assume if you’re physically fit, you can work in
the heat easily. But you
should adapt more quickly than those who are out-of-
shape."

When you’re used to the heat, your body temperature and heart
rate rise less and you
sweat more. You may not necessarily work better at higher
temperatures and humidities when
you’re used to it. But you’ll be able to work in heat you would
otherwise find
intolerable, McLaurin said.

"When the body becomes overheated, less blood goes to
the active muscles, the
brain and internal organs," McLaurin said. "You get
weaker, become tired sooner,
you’re less alert and your judgment may become
impaired."

As strain from heat grows more severe, your body temperature
and heart rate can rise
fast. Workers may not realize the problem because they feel no
pain. But a 2-degree rise
in body temperature can affect mental abilities. A 5-degree
increase can cause serious
illness.

"Tailor your acclimatizing period to suit the type of
work, the clothing, the
worker and the climate," McLaurin said. "A gardener
can start working in the
heat for around two hours with a break after the first hour.
Moderate to heavy work will
require a shorter work period."

Use common sense when you’re working in the heat. Some things
to remember:

* Make sure you drink enough water to replace body fluid lost
through sweating. Your
body can become overheated long before you feel thirsty. Water
or fruit juices replace
fluids quickly.

* Gradually adjust to working in the heat.

* Take breaks in a shaded or air-conditioned place whenever
you can.

* Check the temperature and humidity at least hourly and
monitor your response to the
heat.

* The danger of heat stress increases with higher temperature
and humidity and with
direct sunlight.

* Design your work so you can do one task in the sun and the
next in a shady place if
you can.

* Younger, well-rested and physically fit workers are less
likely to suffer heat
illness than other workers. But even workers in good shape can
become seriously ill from
heat.

* Many drugs, including alcohol and cold and allergy
medications containing
antihistamines, increase the risk of heat illness. Check the
label for sun exposure
information.

"When the temperature climbs to 95 degrees, restrict
your gardening to 40 minutes
with a break of 20 minutes," McLaurin said. "And take
advantage of a garden
bench. Many people work so hard growing things but they forget
to sit down and enjoy the
beauty."