Hot Summer
Water at regular times, movement outside the midday heat and a cooler home.
For hot days, outdoor work, and for older adults and the people close to them. The program spreads drinking across the day, moves activity away from the midday heat and reminds you to call someone older.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Morning
- 7:05Air out and close the blindsLifestyle · Every day
When you get up, open the windows while it is cooler outside. Before 10:00, close them and draw the blinds or curtains on the sunny side.
A cool home. In hot weather, WHO Europe advises keeping your home cool: air it out at night and early in the morning, and keep the blinds closed during the day (WHO Europe).
- 7:30Walk before the heat20 min · Movement · Weekdays
When you want to go for a walk or exercise, do it in the morning, by 11:00 at the latest, or in the early evening once it cools down. Weekends are for rest.
Midday heat. During a heatwave, WHO Europe advises avoiding exertion in the hottest part of the day and being active in the morning, when it is coolest (WHO Europe).
Late morning
- 9:00Drink a glass of water200 ml · Water · Every day
When the morning begins, drink a glass of water and put a bottle where you can see it. In the heat and when working outdoors, keep drinking through the day, even before you feel thirsty.
Caution. If your doctor has limited your fluids, for example because of your heart or kidneys, follow their advice, not this program. Confusion, hot dry skin or a temperature above 40 °C can mean heatstroke; call your local emergency number.
How much in the heat. During activity in the heat, people commonly sweat out 0.5 to 2 liters an hour, so about 0.5 to 1 liter extra per hour of exertion is enough (ACSM 2007).
Midday
- 13:00Drink a glass with lunch200 ml · Water · Every day
When you have lunch, drink a glass of water or unsweetened tea with your meal.
Coffee counts. Tea and coffee count toward your fluid intake too (NHS).
Evening
- 17:00Drink a glass in the afternoon200 ml · Water · Every day
When you get home or finish working outdoors, drink a glass of water. Pale yellow urine is a good guide.
More is not better. Drinking well beyond your needs can be harmful; during long exertion, drinking to thirst is recommended (Hew-Butler et al. 2015).
- 18:00Call an older person5 min · Mind · Every day
When the worst of the heat has passed, call an older relative or neighbor and ask whether they are drinking enough and keeping cool.
Why call. Checking in on family, friends and neighbors who spend a lot of time alone is one of WHO Europe's basic steps for hot weather (WHO Europe).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
- WHO Europe 2025: How summer heat affects health and how to protect yourself (opens in a new tab)guideline
Airing out at night, morning activity and a call to someone who lives alone are taken from WHO Europe's basic steps for hot weather.
Tea and coffee count toward your fluid intake in this program too.
Extra glasses during exertion reflect that in the heat you sweat out 0.5 to 2 liters an hour.
The program advises drinking to thirst, because drinking well beyond your needs can be harmful.
Drinking and airing out are tied to fixed moments of the day so they become a routine in the heat.