England is enjoying/suffering under (delete according to taste) its third heatwave in three months. The heat doesn’t bother me as much as it bothers some. I grew up in South-East Asia, and spent my teenage years playing basketball in the school playground at lunchtime, in 32°C temperatures and 85% humidity.

I’m not sure I could do that now. Partly that’s because I’m middle-aged. But it’s also because I’m no longer acclimatised. The human body is an amazing machine and, given time, can adapt to all sorts of new requirements, muggy heat included. This week’s column dives into the physiology behind getting used to the hot weather.

You’ll have to read the article for the full details. The bad news is that the most effective way to do it is exposure therapy. You have to endure the heat to get used to the heat. After a few days your blood-plasma volume will rise; you will more swiftly move blood to the surface of your skin, where it can shed heat; and you will start sweating at lower temperatures and lose less salt while doing so.

There are some shortcuts. Hot baths can help. The gold standard, for the mustard-keen, is “controlled hyperthermia”. This involves exercising in a special heat chamber, complete with a rectal thermometer to ensure your body temperature stays high, but not too high. Wellness and health hacks are all the rage these days. But you can keep your rectal thermometers. I think I’d prefer to just play some basketball.

How do you adapt to the heat? Email us your tips to  wellinformed@economist.com.

England’s football team set up camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 1st, almost two weeks before the start of the 2026 World Cup. That was so the players, many of whom were used to training in the mild climate of Britain, could adapt to the blistering heat of the host nations. But as July brings western Europe’s third heatwave of 2026, even those not competing in elite sports might wonder how they can train appropriately to beat the heat.