Can I just say, I am so excited for summer?!
I was just reflecting the other day on what a vacation meant to me in my early 20’s when I was unmarried and what it means now. While I miss my wild and fun younger years, I am also satisfied with what I do for recreation now. No matter what your age, summer recreation often means lots of time spent outside in the sun and that means proper sun safety.
Although I am a prime candidate to look after my skin in the sun, being a redhead and very fair skinned, sun protection is important to everyone, no matter what their skin is like.
Not only is skin safety important, but there are more dangers by spending time in the sun such as dehydration to be aware of.
To avoid dehydration, it is important to do the following:
- Drink water! You can loose as much as a liter of water every hour you are outside in hot weather doing physical activity. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but make sure to drink water before you feel thirsty during rigorous outdoor activity.
- Avoid caffeine and alcoholic drinks. These can actually dehydrate you further.
- Take Vitamin C supplements. They help your body more evenly distribute liquids.
- Don’t stay in the hot sun without taking a break in the shade once ion a while.
- Watch for signs of dehydration such as fatigue, loss of appetite, red skin, feeling dizzy and dark colored urine.
- Boudewijn Berends / Beach Photos / CC BY
For proper sun safety, you must not only use sunscreen, but use it in conjunction with other protections such as:
- Proper clothing. When not at the pool or lake, make sure you cover your skin. This may seen crazy in the hot weather, but it is vital to keeping your skin protected.
- Wear a hat that can protect your ears, eyes and neck.
- Use sunscreen that is 15 SPF or higher with both UVB and UVA protection. apply liberally and often, even if it says “waterproof”.
- Wear sunglasses. You can actually cause serious issues with your sight by not protecting them from the sun.
Sun protection is important for the whole family. As moms, we often make sure our kids get covered, but not ourselves. Be diligent in making sure you are covered as well!