LiveWell Now!
Best practices for working from home
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- Mindfulness: Focus on one thing at a time.
- Find balance: Use social media as a tool to inspire you and help you reach your goals!
- Stay active: Plan ahead for unpredictable or extreme weather.
- Social distancing: Tune into a webinar on a topic that interests or inspires you and invite your friends to join in!
- Hydration: Avoid caffeinated drinks as you prepare for your workout.
- Healthy meals: Include plant-based proteins in your diet.
- Family time: Create new memories by finding unique ways to celebrate a holiday or birthday!
- Balancing work with kids at home: Take care of yourself physically and mentally so you can feel good and give your best in other aspects of your life.
- Stay safe in the sun: Check out this week’s LiveWell Now! for a deep dive on staying safe in the sun!
- Transition back to the office: Find time to do things that make you happy like going for a run or reading a book.
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Let’s take a deeper dive into staying safe in the sun!
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How to practice sun safety
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Shade
When you are outdoors during the summer, the best ways to seek shade are to use an umbrella if you are taking a walk, having a picnic, or spending a day at the lake. Find shade under trees that are nearby if you are at the park, or walk where there is a pathway of trees. If you have the option to be under nearby buildings or infrastructures that provide shade, you will stay cooler on your walk.
Clothing
Often, when you think of a summer wardrobe, you think of shorts and short sleeve shorts and sundresses. However, the clothing that offers the best protection from the sun are long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and long skirts. Another thing you might think of when you want to cool down is cold water, so perhaps wetting your t-shirt and then putting in on as you work in the front yard or do outdoor activities in the sun. However, a wet t-shirt provides less UV protection than wearing a dry t-shirt would. Moreover, the best options for clothing that offers the best protection are tightly woven fabric and dark-colored clothing. If wearing this type of clothing is not ideal for you, some other options include wearing a t-shirt or beach cover-up. Typically, a regular plain t-shirt has an SPF that is lower than 15, so it important to consider some of the suggestions mentioned above for more sun protection.
Sunscreen
Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 15 when you are planning to go outside in the sun. This still applies if the day appears to be overcast and cloudy. It is important that all areas of our skin that are exposed to the sun be protected. For the hard to reach areas like your back, ask for someone to apply it. To get the best use of your sunscreen, it is best to combine it with other UV protection like the clothing items and accessories mentioned previously.
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Finding the sunscreen that works best for you
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How sunscreen works
You might be wondering, how does sunscreen actually protect me from the sun? Sunscreen products absorb, reflect, or scatter the sunlight that hits your skin. All products vary in the ingredients they contain which is why it is important to test a little bit of sunscreen on your skin before you apply it all over to ensure it doesn’t burn your skin or cause a reaction. If it does, it doesn’t mean you are allergic to all sunscreens, it just means you need to find one that works best for your skin. Sunscreen chemicals interact with your skin to protect it from UV light.
Broad Spectrum Protection
There are two types of UV Rays: UVA and UVB. UVB refers to rays that cause sunburns, meanwhile, UVA refers to rays that can cause skin cancer or premature aging. All sunscreens have protection against UVB rays, but not UVA rays. This is why it is important that when you are looking to purchase sunscreen, you find one that is labeled as broad-spectrum meaning that it covers both. For a sunscreen to be labeled broad-spectrum, it must have undergone testing and passed as being broad-spectrum.
SPF of at least 30
When deciding which number sunscreen to purchase, always aim for one that has an SPF of at least 30. What does this mean? The SPF number means the level of protection the sunscreen has against the UVB rays. So the higher the number, the more protection. However, something to consider is that once you reach a certain number and continue increasing, the increase in sun protection from one SPF number to another is minimal. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will filter out around 93% of UVB rays, meanwhile, a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 will filter out 97% of UVB rays. Any higher SPFs than this and the protection increase is minimal. It is important to keep in mind that there is not a sunscreen that will protect you 100%. A requirement by the FDA is to label any sunscreens that have an SPF below 15 as only protecting against sunburn and not against cancer or premature aging.
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SPF 15- filters out about 93% of sun rays
SPF 30- filters out about 97% of sun rays
SPF 100- filters out about 99% of sun rays
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Water Resistant vs Water Proof
There is no such thing as waterproof or sweat-proof sunscreen. This is why it is required by manufacturers to indicate for how long a sunscreen offers protection in water or against sweat. It can either offer protection for 40 minutes or 80 minutes while swimming or sweating. It is important for sunscreen to be reapplied either every two hours or if you use a towel to dry off water or sweat.
Expiration Date
If a sunscreen does not have an expiration date, then it usually has a shelf life of 3 years. However, it can expire quicker if it is left in the sun or heat for long periods of time
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Cosmetics
Many cosmetic items offer their products with SPF included in the product. If your cosmetic products do not contain an SPF of at least 15, apply a separate SPF or use other protective gear like a wide-brimmed hat.
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Mint Watermelon Popsicle Recipe
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Minty Watermelon Popsicles
Ice cream is a refreshing (and tasty) treat to have during the summer. Check out this easy and natural popsicle recipe to try out this summer!
Ingredients
- 3 cups watermelon slices, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
- 1 ½ cups coconut water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
Directions
- In a blender, puree 2 ½ cups diced watermelon pieces, mint leaves, coconut water, lime juice, and honey. Cut the remaining ½ cup watermelon slices into ¼-inch cubes.
- Split the diced watermelon evenly into the molds and tap them down to the bottom.
- Mix the popsicle mixture with a spoon and then evenly distribute it into the popsicle molds.
- Insert the popsicle sticks to the puree. If it does not stick, use a piece of tape to hold them into place.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
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Outdoor activities during the Phoenix Summer
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Early morning hikes
One of the most rewarding things about hiking is the views you get to see when you reach the top! Enjoy this experience by going on an early morning hike. It is recommended that hikers begin their trek no later than 6 am to be finished before the sun begins to peak. It is also extremely important to come prepared with at least 1 liter of water for every hour that you will be hiking. Lastly, in the event of an emergency, it is always a good idea that you let a trusted person know where you will be.
Check out some of these hiking trails:
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Nightime mountain biking
Another Arizona hidden gem is its hundreds of miles bike trails! It may seem too hot to bike ride, but it has become a fun activity for bike riders in Phoenix to go bike riding at night. There are even meet-ups where bikers can gather and go on a biking trek together at night.
Camp and hike
To experience a change of scenery and some cooler weather, head north of the carefree highway toward Tonto’s National Forest Recreational Area to view some greenery and cool off and relax under the shade of cottonwood trees and along the creek.
Visit a lake
While Arizona may not have quick access to beaches, there are beautiful lakes that are only a short drive outside of the Phoenix Area. A day on the lake is a great way to spend time in the summer and for a change of scenery. Activities you can do at the lake are go kayaking, ride a boat, go fishing or just swim!
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Thank you for reading LiveWell Now! If you are trying any of these wellness tips or know of any that we can share, tag us on social media with photos of how you and your family are staying healthy @GoWellnessAtoZ using the hashtag #LiveWellNow.
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