It’s summer time!
With summer in full swing, now is the time to plan that great amazing summer getaway with the family.  But your next summer getaway doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg or require weeks of preparation.  You don’t need to recruit your travel agent or go online to plan this upcoming summer adventure.  You won’t even need to spend any extra money if you don’t want to.  This summer adventure is about getting your family involved in an activity that everyone can take part in and enjoy….from the youngest to the oldest. 

Because what you need is a great family workout—early morning or late afternoon at the beach playing Frisbee or building a sandcastle, an early morning break at the local pool or create your own backyard playground where everyone can enjoy cycling through an obstacle or relay course.  For those of you who aren’t that creative to develop and design your own backyard workout, we’ve done away with the guesswork and have an easy to follow Backyard Workout manual that you can use to develop a family workout that everyone can do. 

Whatever the adventure, the most important aspect is getting the entire family involved—from the planning stage to the actual adventure date.  Let your kids think up activities that they’d like to do, that will get their pulses racing without emptying your pockets.  And if you’d rather have an indoor adventure…the sky’s the limit. 

Get out that old Twister game, a timer and the entire family and play Twister—the pumped up version….timing the rounds.  But players BEWARE—if you haven’t played in years, have chronic aches and pains from sore muscles and joint problems this is NOT the game for you!  But if you’ve already received permission from your doctor to participate in physical activity…then by all means grab that Twister game and get spinning.

And if you’re brave enough to weather the elements and want to try an outdoor adventure…please heed this warning and don’t forget about sunscreen.  No matter if there aren’t any clouds in the sky or all you see are overcast clouds, harmful ultraviolet rays can penetrate your skin and cause damage to your cells’ DNA and significantly increase your risk for developing skin cancer—-the most common form of cancer. 

Skin cancer can affect anyone…no matter your skin color or skin type—so everyone must take steps to lower their risk of getting skin cancer.

Here are some skin-saving tips for this summer season and for all seasons…
 

1. Wear sunscreen every day at least SPF 15—even when it’s overcast.  SPF refers to the ratio of time it takes you to burn when out in the sun with sunscreen compared to the time it takes you to burn without sunscreen.  So if you normally burn after 5 minutes, if you apply SPF 30 sunscreen, you can spend up to 150 minutes and be protected.
2. When you’re out in the sun, wear sun-protective clothing such as wide-brimmed hats and long-sleeve but breathable clothes.
3. Reapply your sunscreen frequently if you’re active in water sports or if you perspire.
4. Avoid being outside during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when sun rays are at their strongest.
5. Skip the tanning booths.  Use artificial tanning products or bronzers to get that golden glow without the harmful UV rays.

So before setting out on your next family adventure, pack the sunscreen and have fun.  Be active and be healthy!
To your wellness,
Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 4:02 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.