Top Summer Tips to stay Healthy
Summer is crazy time full of excitement and packed schedules! People often find themselves running from one event to the next and squeezing in beach time when they can! We have to take advantage of those nice days when we get them :) Between all of the hustle and bustle it is important to remember some basic health tips!
Application
Application refers to apply the proper products to allow you have a safe and pain free summer. A few helpful products include sunscreen and bug repellent. You should always carry a safe sunscreen and bug repellent with you; however, chemicals are something to consider when determining what brands to use. The app “Think Dirty” can help you to find clean sunscreen and bug repellents. Some clean brands to keep in your to-go bag are: Badger, The Honest Company, and Babyganics.
While we want to use sunscreen to protect ourselves from the sun’s harsh UV rays, Vitamin D is such an important nutrient for us! Vitamin D helps our bodies to our absorb calcium, which allows us to have strong and healthy bones! Vitamin D also helps our immune system to function well and keep us healthy! (this is why so many people get sick in the winter, when our natural Vitamin D from the sun is diminished). So while it is important to practice safe sun exposure, it is also very healthy to be outside soaking up the sun while we can.
Also, we encourage you to inspect your children and selves for bug bits. If anything appears to be overly swollen or appear abnormal, please seek medical attention. While poisonous insects and reptiles are rare in our area, they are not totally unheard of. Teaching your kids to be aware of their bug bites can help prevent from more serious reactions.
2. Hydration
It is very important that we drink plenty of water in the summer time as heat stroke can affect anyone! Heat stroke/ sun stroke is when the core body temperature exceeds 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Someone suffering from heat stroke can experience nausea, vomiting, confusion, headache, muscle cramps, lack of sweating, behavioral changes, and dizziness. If someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, call 911. Also, applying ice packs, cool water, and fanning the person suffering from a heat stroke can help lower the core body temp.
Prevention tips for heat stroke: Kids often do not want to stop playing in the summer, so it is important to keep a water bottle with you at all times and encourage your children to drink lots of water. If they are thirsty enough to ask for water then dehydration has already started. Wearing lighter colors and lightweight clothing in the summer can also help with preventing heat stroke. Encouraging your kids to come in from playing to get some shade, especially during the hottest times of the day is important as well. Heat stroke can be easily prevented if proper precautions and awareness is taken!
3. injury prevention
Wearing proper protective gear while on land or in the water can keep us and our children be safe. While riding bicycles, rollerblading, 4 wheeling, dirt biking, or any other rigorous outdoor sports, be sure to wear a proper helmet! Proper helmets should fit snug and should not be able to wiggle around on your head. While playing in or around the water it is also important to have a proper fitting life jacket. Water wings, which are commonly used are actually not meant to be a sole safety device and can actually cause more of an issue. Water wings can easily slip off of the child but they can also prevent the child from learning to swim. Most drownings occur within 10-30 feet of safety due to lack of proper safety gear. Be sure to keep a close eye on children while in the water. Also, be mindful to not swim too far out as an adult as well as distance in water can be deceiving and you can become easily fatigued.
4. get outdoors
Get outdoors! Summer is such a beautiful time but our days outside are limited! We have only a few months where we can be outdoors for hours on end. You may notice that spending time out in the fresh air may help improve sleep as well! Some ideas of outdoor activities include: swimming, hiking, playing various sports, biking, picnics, outdoor crafts, and many more!
5. Guilt Free
Our final tidbit of info for summer health tips is to kick “mommy guilt” to the curb! Summer has a tendency to fly by and the long list of things we wanted to accomplish by end of summer has barely even been started by the time summer ends. Making a list in the beginning of summer of all the activities your children and family want to do will help you to stay on track. Pick some activities to do on rainy days and sunny days as well. This will help you to determine which activities are a priority. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of those beautiful summer beach days instead of organizing, working, packing, etc. In 10 years your memories will be filled with the fun things you did as a family rather than remember that you forgot to meal prep one week. And remember, whatever you don’t get done this summer can always be picked up next year! Enjoy the days as they come and minimize the unneeded stress.
