Summertime is here, and many are ready for those fun-filled summer activities to be enjoyed with friends and family. Summer activities are enjoyable and also require that we maintain safe practices while engaging. With the well-being of our Liberty teams in mind, we decided to check in with Rebecca DiTore, our Wellness Manager, to learn about any summer tips she could share with us. She provided some tips relative to summer fun safety.
Staying Safe While Having Fun This Summer
Rebecca explained that many of the outdoor activities we enjoy, such as hiking, life near water, campfires, and other outdoor activities, put us at an increased risk for bug bites, sun, and heat damage. She further explained that while most bug bites are simply an itchy nuisance, there are some cases when bug bites can lead to serious diseases such as Zika, Lyme’s Disease,, and Malaria. She suggested the following to protect yourself from bug bites:
- Use insect repellent on clothing and exposed skin that has 20 to 30 percent DEET.
- For those more inclined to try natural remedies, you may find success using lemongrass, citrus, tea tree, citronella and/or lavender scents.
- If you are planning on camping or spending nights outdoors, you may want to look into bed nets as well.
Protect Your Skin from the Sun
Rebecca reminded us that it’s very important to protect our skin year-round and, especially, in the summer when the sun is strongest and we’re spending more time outdoors with less clothing protection. Here are some tips to protect your exposed skin from the harmful effects of the sun:
- Apply sunscreen about 15-30 minutes before going outdoors and apply and reapply a broad-spectrum sunscreen at least every 2 hours. Also, apply more frequently if you are swimming or sweating.
- Wear protective clothing including hats and sunglasses as the sun can be dangerous for our eyes as well.
- Spend a modest amount of time in the sunshine during the hours or 10am and 4pm.
- Be mindful of the medications that you’re taking as some make you more sensitive to skin making all of these protective efforts even more important for you personally.
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
Rebecca concludes by encouraging us to make hydration a priority this summer. She reminds us that while staying hydrated is important every month of the year, it is particularly important during the summer months when the temperatures are high because staying hydrated improves every single function of our bodies.
