Home sweet home.
Air-conditioning is not mainstream in the Bay Area — I also follow suit and don't have it in my pad. However, each year, as Spring turns up the heat, I contemplate forking over the cash to have central air installed. After doing the math, it makes a lot more economic sense to sweat it out on those seldom sweltering days. For me, it's tough, because before moving to Northern California I always Read more
Trying to beat the heat this month? Good news: Your ceiling fan can help. While it won't help on the most brutally hot days, by reversing your ceiling fan's blade direction, you will be pushing cool air down, circulating it through the house. To find out how to do it, read more Read more
San Francisco is in the midst of heat wave, and as much as I love putting on my Summer dresses, I'm not a fan of looking like a stick of melted butter. If the temperature in your 'hood hasn't risen yet, trust me, it will. So, I have a few tips for conquering the heat when it does. Not so fast, they have nothing to do with blasting the a/c: you know that's not eco friendly. To hear my Read more
A few years ago, I watched a contractor install a swamp cooler (also known as an evaporative cooler) on an elderly woman's roof. Her home, which had previously been uncomfortably, even dangerously hot, was given immediate relief when the evaporative cooler was turned on. Evaporative coolers work by drawing exterior air into special pads soaked with water. The air is cooled by evaporation, and Read more
For anyone seeking an eco chic lifestyle, air conditioning is a conflict, to say the least. If it were easy to acclimate ourselves to living a sweat-filled life, we would have, long ago. But, it turns out that the ability to control the climate indoors is a big life-saver when it comes to being comfortable and getting things done. One way to cut back on air conditioning use in the Summer is to Read more
Dwell recently featured the Lighthouse, a London-area show home by British architects Sheppard Robson, which uses the sky as a resource for temperature control. The primary feature of the house is its windcatcher, "the ultra-modern descendant of an ancient Middle Eastern cooling tool," which allows residents to "directly manipulate the flow of air into and out of the home," (hot and cool air) by Read more
Due to the nice weather, summer may be the time where you actually get out and and get moving. However, along with summer comes some culprits for sabotaging you efforts at staying healthy. Canada.com has identified the top ten most notorious culprits: AIR CONDITIONING: When eating out, consider sitting on a patio rather than in a cool restaurant. You'll be less likely to order a calorie-laden Read more
OK people, just because you're sweating, does NOT mean you are burning calories. Just because you're not sweating doesn't mean you're not burning calories. Caloric burn depends on the intensity and duration of the exercise. The environment plays a big role in how much you sweat. If you exercise in an air-conditioned room, you will not sweat so much because the cold dry air works to quickly Read more
Most of us are psyched for warmer weather, but allergy sufferers are cursing runny noses, congestion, red eyes, and itchy throats. You may not realize it, but here are the everyday things that can aggravate your symptoms. Exercising outside is a no-brainer when temps start going up, but not so for those allergic to pollen. If you can't bear to skip outdoor workouts, try to exercise early in the Read more
Fun issues like nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, and the need to hit the ladies' room — three different times during a workout! — makes it difficult to keep up with a regular exercise routine when pregnant. If you're expecting, taking up yoga (or continuing to go) is wonderful because not only does it alleviate some of these annoying discomforts, your body will stay strong and flexible. Read more
