CHAT DH and yard work in 95 degrees

[bev]

This is not a hubby-bashing post.

I would like to know, preferably from other middle-aged men, why a man with some health issues would choose to engage in strenuous work outside in this kind of hot weather. Work that could have been accomplished later, when it cooled down a bit, or even put off for a few days. When he told me what he was going out to do, I suggested waiting until maybe after dinner when it would be cooler. He said, “I want to do it now.” I told him I wouldn’t take him to the hospital.

DH is finished now and says he’s surprised he was able to accomplish what he did. I’m surprised he didn’t collapse out there from heat exhaustion.

He has not admitted (to me) that he was trying to prove that he “still had it,” but that’s what I’m thinking. Kind of like pushing his limits, or testing his limits. I think it’s a psychological thing, and I think it’s predominantly a male thing. Mid-life-crisis? (He’s 66.)

Thoughts? How should a loving, concerned wife respond?

 

[Dennis Olson]

Because lots of men are hardwired to “prove their manliness” to their women. I just call it stupid.

 

[Macgyver]

I'm mid 40's and can't do that heat.
I could ride the mower that's about it.
I do need to tie up some plants in the garden but that's going to have to wait till latter at least.
The heat today was a perfect excuse to work on tiling more of the bathroom.

 

[Digger]

Mine is out mowing now. I will take him a drink in a bit. Mine wants things done when he want it done. Drives him crazy when his dad is that way, but can't see it in himself. After 32 years I have learned to go with the flow. Thank him for what he did and tell him it looks good. Make sure to take him a drink next time and admire his work. He gets a break and a drink that way. Mine will not take time to stop otherwise.

 

[Hognutz]

I’m in 95 degree heat now working on brakes on my work truck,but I ain’t gotta choice, gotta work tomorrow....

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

Go do it starting when you can JUST see what you're doing, say, 30 minutes or so before official sunrise. Stop for the day no later than when you've been drowning in sweat for an hour or so. Repeat daily, and your outside chores will get done.

P.S. I drink half a gallon of liquid between when I wake up and by 10 minutes into my near-daily 6 mile trail walks. If your urine isn't clear AND you're not having to "go" every 10 minutes for the first hour, your fluid intake is insufficient.

 

[Profit of Doom]

Because lots of men are hardwired to “prove their manliness” to their women. I just call it stupid.

Stories of mowing lawns come to mind...

 

[Macgyver]

I’m in 95 degree heat now working on brakes on my work truck,but I ain’t gotta choice, gotta work tomorrow....

Make some shade and get a box fan going.

 

[West]

Just did a service call for a little old lady in her 90s, cleaning and fixing a AC in this heat or mowing a yard for that matter, it just needs to get done sometimes.

I'll say a well earned back rub or massage? Cold drink too....idk.

OP just your concern tells me he's a vary lucky man. Being loved is the most important thing.

 

[David Nettleton]

In addition to choirs I will add a project or more. When the project window opens I go for it. Was raised with work first and if there is anything left go amuse yourself. It's ingrained and called "deferred gratification." I check with my wife to best discern what she might need from me daily so I can make my plans. Once my plan is made and something else gets thrown into the mix by her or fate, I find this frustrating.

 

[night driver]

Yup. It comes with the "Y" chromosome. And the wedding tackle.

Be sure to help him out by bringing him a cold drink (not a beer!!! Until he's done) and do it more than once in the afternoon.

MY preference when for me or for someone I'm working with and trying to keep healthy is 50/50 water and Gatorade with SOME ice, though not enough to make it frigid for drinking, if you don't have Gookinaid (which is now Vitalyte. Invented by Bill Gookin for athletes, it is essentially Lactated Ringers Solution so it is DAMN GOOD for rehydration/hydration.)

But make sure you get some water and some lytes into him (Whether or not he thinks he needs it)!!!!! (He's gonna fight this a bit BUT, the HARDER he fights it the more he needs it!! When my bride comes out with drinks I have learned the HARD way to stop n drink. And I DO MEAN the hard (IV D5 Half NS, followed up by NS and fergawsake by Baroka (bright yellow B12 crap. If you have ever spilled you know PRECISELY what I mean)) and the ER visit charge. I drink when told to now.

Like I said it comes with the Y chromosome and the wedding tackle.

 

[night driver]

Go do it starting when you can JUST see what you're doing, say, 30 minutes or so before official sunrise. Stop for the day no later than when you've been drowning in sweat for an hour or so. Repeat daily, and your outside chores will get done.

P.S. I drink half a gallon of liquid between when I wake up and by 10 minutes into my near-daily 6 mile trail walks. If your urine isn't clear AND you're not having to "go" every 10 minutes for the first hour, your fluid intake is insufficient.

THIS!!!! D'ye have ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO TEACH SOME 22 Y.O. idiot male this???

 

[Meemur]

My 50-something neighbor was out mowing the front when it was in the upper 90s, about an hour before the rain came in yesterday. I agree: they want it done right then and won't wait. He didn't look well when he was nearly finished. I think his wife asked him to quit and go into the house.

Yeah, I start my garden work at sunrise -- weeding, watering, adding mulch. I quit by 8:30 - 9:00 am. Mowing? No. It's too dry.

This is when I like being female. I have nothing to prove to anyone. I'm older and need to work smarter, not harder.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

I'm 41 and i won't cut grass before 8 PM. Shadows get long and there's plenty of shade.

 

[questionable1]

Some times it feels good to embrace the suck.

 

[Murt]

I would like to know, preferably from other middle-aged men, why a man with some health issues would choose to engage in strenuous work outside in this kind of hot weather.

cause it's too hot to fish

 

[Thinwater]

We have had so much rain recently I could not risk waiting for it to cool down to 95 degrees to mow the fenced in part of my yard with the push mower, then the rest of 1 1/2 acres with the ZTR. As it was I had to hold the front wheels off of the ground and make two passes on the push mower part. Now I have to order a new fuel pump for the ZTR mower. At 4:30 it is still 98 on my front porch, in the shade.

 

[cyberiot]

Bev:

I've got one just like yours. My preliminary theory is that they do this kind of stuff because they have rocks in their heads. Rocks, I tell you. Rocks.

But I won't know for sure until the autopsy.

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

I'm 41 and i won't cut grass before 8 PM. Shadows get long and there's plenty of shade.

In the evening, vampire bugs own the outdoors here. Plus, it's still hot here (I'm in NW FL) til well after "can't see". Newp. The time for outdoor labor is from just before dawn til "F it's hot now" (usually under 3 hours later).

 

[Jeff B.]

It’s pretty hot here... I’m pushing 60 hard and have taken it easy this weekend when compared to my normal routine. I think I “could” do what I have in mind, but don’t mind waiting like others for the evening to cool it a bit. I did pick up branches and limbs from a blow last night early this morning.

I’m not heavy and have remained in decent condition mostly through the amount of work I Do around the place, but I’m not as young as I was and don’t have anything to prove...

Jeff B.

 

[Eagle 326]

I'll give this a try . Heat is heat ; It's how your work in it . Heat never really bothered me when I was young but I always drank a lot of water . 17 went in the Army Jan. 1968 . August 70 Vietnam . Sent I corps. 101st. Getting off plane in Cahm-Rahn Bay took your breath away . Average temperature in country was 110 degrees . Was then 19 yrs. old . Being in I -corps. you went from flat land to mountains . you had to learn to get accustomed to the heat . My partner and I operated a D-5 bulldozer in all the terrains .

Over watch each other when not operating until grunts took over . After about 1 month you became accustomed to the heat and knew to keep hydrated . Never spray yourself with water to cool down as it only makes you hotter . Just sweat and hydrate . Now at 70 this October 2nd . I still do the same and the heat is a nuisance but bearable . The wife has watched me for 49 years now and laughs when friends say I should be in front of air conditioner.

It's not about my manhood it's just a way I've learned to deal with heat . We have too many projects to do before winter and heat is just something to work through like cold weather is . But if one is doing it to show his manliness he's doing it for the wrong reasons .

Everybody has their own way and this way works for me . Y.M.M.V.

Run Low Drive On

 

[raven]

middle aged . . . . ????
hahahahahaha

 

[bev]

Yup. It comes with the "Y" chromosome. And the wedding tackle.

Be sure to help him out by bringing him a cold drink (not a beer!!! Until he's done) and do it more than once in the afternoon.

MY preference when for me or for someone I'm working with and trying to keep healthy is 50/50 water and Gatorade with SOME ice, though not enough to make it frigid for drinking, if you don't have Gookinaid (which is now Vitalyte. Invented by Bill Gookin for athletes, it is essentially Lactated Ringers Solution so it is DAMN GOOD for rehydration/hydration.)

But make sure you get some water and some lytes into him (Whether or not he thinks he needs it)!!!!! (He's gonna fight this a bit BUT, the HARDER he fights it the more he needs it!! When my bride comes out with drinks I have learned the HARD way to stop n drink. And I DO MEAN the hard (IV D5 Half NS, followed up by NS and fergawsake by Baroka (bright yellow B12 crap. If you have ever spilled you know PRECISELY what I mean)) and the ER visit charge. I drink when told to now.

Like I said it comes with the Y chromosome and the wedding tackle.

You mean the banana bags, right?

 

[raven]

BTW, if a person . . . either male of female . . . works strenuously out doors as a daily routine
working when it gets a little warmer is usually not a big deal . . . regardless of age.
it really becomes a problem when you become sedentary and accustomed to temperature controlled environment

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

Gatorade and its imitators absolutely BLOW IMO re composition. Those typically have 3x as much Na as K, when the ratio should be more like the converse. Also, way too much sugar, which slows absorption.

Diluted OJ is better than most sports drinks IMO; diluted coconut water, too (both are HIGH in K and low in Na).

 

[Meemur]

it really becomes a problem when you become sedentary and accustomed to temperature controlled environment

This is true! I work from home, online. I've been forcing myself to become more active, but in a way that doesn't set me up for a hospital visit.

 

[Milkweed Host]

I've been busy cutting 100 13 year old maple tree out of the woods. I'm up on the ladder, either trimming before
felling the trees or hooking up a log chain to force the tree another way. It's been hot and humid in Iowa, so I take lots
of breaks and drink lots of water. Of course I'm a young buck, I just don't know why there's some old white haired fart
staring at me in the mirror.

 

[marsh]

I go out about 2 or 3 and work till 8. Today, it is 102F, yesterday, 98F. I try and work in the shady areas, rotating around, take frequent breaks and stay hydrated. I need to keep the green bin full and this week, I have 2 other bins lined up with family to fill.

Lots of tree and rose pruning and ivy removal. I sit while I am stripping the cut limbs of vegetation.

If I don't do it, no one else will and maintenance backs up quickly.

 

[WalknTrot]

A bit of a micro-manager are we?

Just a thought.

 

[FREEBIRD]

Mine too. In almost 50 years together I have learned two things: NOTHING happens until it's his idea; and he has to have his own way.

 

[Ravekid]

I'm 40s but in great shape. When I was younger, I actually hated heat and humidity. Not really sure why. In recent years though, I've started to hate the fridge cold winter temps and actually don't mind the heat and humidity as much. I've had to get some things around the yard done, but when it is hot and humid, I start at first light and don't do too much. This weekend I did do a lot on Saturday because it needed to be done. I took an hour or so break in the AC so it wasn't too terrible.

I'm waiting till the temps break to finish digging a drain, building a hardscape, dealing with mulch, and dealing with trees.

 

[Mikiekimi]

I’m 49 and I’ll typically do it before noon, but sometimes I have to do it in the afternoon...I‘m still cutting twice a week but it’s getting close to a single mowing. It only takes me about 40 minutes.

It’s actually less strenuous than my typical workout and is more akin to walking my dogs...it pays to stay in shape...sometimes you just gotta do what needs to be done.

 

[tiredude]

let him do what he wants.......

by the way.....he is either hydrated or not at this point ...... water? take him a gatoraid and tell him to hurry up

 

[West]

I do think it's good to sweat it out sometimes. Meaning good for your health.

IDK

I do hope it's good for you, cause every day I'm sweating a lot out, as part of my job and close to the same age.

 

[mikeabn]

Years ago as a retiree recall in the Army, one of the guys brought back from retirement had been awarded a Silver Star in Vietnam and was a big shot in the IRS. On the grenade range he passed out trying to prove he was still 22 years old. The other two recalls and me pulled him into the shade.

 

[Carl2]

Being able to do active work in the heat might be critical in an emergency. Hydration and electrolyte balance must be maintained. I have been working to improve myself in this area. Of course, I cannot perform like a 19 year old anymore. . .

 

[rob0126]

Heat doesn't bother me as much as the cold does. We lived in KY for a time and I will tell you, I could care less to see snow or long periods of temps below 32 degrees, ever again.

Just keep yourself hydrated with electrolytes, and take breaks. Also, a good full brim hat works well to keep your head from frying.

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

I do think it's good to sweat it out sometimes. Meaning good for your health.

IDK

I do hope it's good for you, cause every day I'm sweating a lot out, as part of my job and close to the same age.

Agreed, with caveats. Sweating takes a load off the kidneys. It also dumps Sodium, of which IMO 95% of Americans take in >10x as much as they should. Of course, prevention is always easier than cure; I don't even keep table salt in the house when I live alone, and always get salt-free versions of everything when possible.

 

[West]

I sport one of these...

It's like having a umbrella on your head...

 

[AlfaMan]

This is not a hubby-bashing post.

I would like to know, preferably from other middle-aged men, why a man with some health issues would choose to engage in strenuous work outside in this kind of hot weather. Work that could have been accomplished later, when it cooled down a bit, or even put off for a few days. When he told me what he was going out to do, I suggested waiting until maybe after dinner when it would be cooler. He said, “I want to do it now.” I told him I wouldn’t take him to the hospital.

DH is finished now and says he’s surprised he was able to accomplish what he did. I’m surprised he didn’t collapse out there from heat exhaustion.

He has not admitted (to me) that he was trying to prove that he “still had it,” but that’s what I’m thinking. Kind of like pushing his limits, or testing his limits. I think it’s a psychological thing, and I think it’s predominantly a male thing. Mid-life-crisis? (He’s 66.)

Thoughts? How should a loving, concerned wife respond?

With respect, hopefully.

A man still has to be a man to their wives; no matter how frail our health might be. Not being physically able to do things as you were when you were younger wear on a man. I'm 55 and have health issues-but I'll be damned if hot weather is going to stop me from doing things. A man's pride still plays a part in a man's psyche, no matter what age we are.

Men are hardwired that way; we have to prove to ourselves and others we can still carry the load, whether we drop from heat stroke or not. Think of it as boyish competitiveness, or fear of failure and resistance to admitting defeat in anything we do.