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VOCAL HEALTH Are You Frying Your Voice This Summer? 10 Tips Help You Stay - And Sound - Cool July 10, 2015  By Ann S. Utterback, Ph.D. Voice Specialist Author, Broadcaster's Survival Guide Summer can be hard on your voice and your body with the heat and humidity. You can sound parched and also look wilted on camera. If you want to sound great and look polished, follow these 10 tips. 1. Keep your vocal tract moist by drinking half your body weight in ounces of decaffeinated, nonalcoholic fluid a day 2. If you have allergies or get a summer cold, limit throat clearing and coughing. 3. Be careful not to yell in noisy environments such as outdoor sporting events or clubs. Yelling can permanently harm your voice. 4. Keep up an exercise program, but if you’re exercising outside and it’s hot, do it early in the morning or late in the evening. Why exercise? It helps develop good breathing, but it does much more. 5. Get at least seven hours of sleep each night for good vocal energy. That’s the minimum that doctors recommend. Go for more when you can. And remember that computers and tablets emit blue light that mimics sunlight and can keep you awake. Dim them down at least an hour before bedtime. 6. Ramp up your protein intake for better overall energy and great vocal energy. 7. Use a pitch that is comfortable and does not cause vocal fatigue. If you get hoarse after a day of voicing, you may be using an unnatural pitch. See a physician if hoarseness, pain, or odd sensations in the throat last for more than two weeks. Take hoarseness seriously. 8. Practice abdominal-diaphragmatic breathing to decrease tension in the laryngeal area. 9. Use SPF 30 or higher sun cream every day and reapply it every few hours! And if you’re outside much of the day, you can actually make your clothes sun proof with Rit Sun Guard. It’s a washing powder that stays in through 20 washes and blocks more than 96% of harmful rays. Doesn’t change the look or feel of your clothes, either. I use it, and it’s great! 10. And the most important tip of all: Don’t smoke or expose yourself to the smoke of others. Watch this video if you’re a smoker. It might help you quit! ---------------------------------------------------------  ABOUT ANNAnn S. Utterback, Ph.D., is a voice specialist with more than 40 years experience and has helped hundreds of people make the most of their voices, working with broadcasters, voice over artists and podcasters around the world. An author of eight books and over 50 articles on voice, her Broadcaster's Survival Guide e-book offers more tips on dealing with holiday stress, plus advice on how to improve your voice over performance by making simple lifestyle changes. Web: http://OnlineVoiceCoaching.comClick for: Broadcaster's Survival Guide |
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Comments (1)
Elizabeth Holmes
7/10/2015 at 1:52 PM
As always, THANK YOU Ann for your helpful advice and practical tips for improving vocal health!
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