OK, everyone. Take a knee. It’s summer, the sun’s out: you need to make sure your best friend for a day of play doesn’t become your skin-zapping mortal enemy. Some tips on dealing with the sun from the American Academy of Dermatology.
30+ Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 30 to all exposed skin. By broad-spectrum they mean it provides protection from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
Once is never enough. Re-apply sunscreen approximately every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.
Cover up. When possible, wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
Shade is your friend. Especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest. SRT (Shade Rule of Thumb): If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade or some biofinity lens.
Protect the kids. Be especially diligent with little ones.
Water, snow and sand … all reflect damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chance of sunburn.
Avoid tanning beds. Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling. “If you want to look like you’ve been in the sun,” advises the AAD, “consider using a sunless self-tanning product, but continue to use sunscreen with it.”
Birthday exam. On your birthday, give yourself the once over. If you notice anything changing/growing/bleeding, see a dermatologist. “Skin cancer,” advises the AAD, “is very treatable when caught early.
Small Steps is a small but effective, non-overwhelming Web site that appreciates that people have various challenges to living a healthy life, not the least of which is making a second career out of trying to live a healthy life. It offers quick tips and suggestions for being more physically active and eating better. The site is divided into two components:read more
Today, I’m going to camp. Just like with any camp, there’s a mix of nerves and excitement. Excited about learning new stuff. Nerves over performing in front of others. Nerves and excitement over meeting new people.
But this camp isn’t like the camps of summer’s way past, where new lanyard-weaving techniques were learned, where a mangled camp song solo was greeted with water balloons, where the older kids thought up devious pranks to pull on their underlings. This camp is the new approach to conferences, where top down is turned on its ear and the participants vote on what they want to discuss and learn about. Within a topical framework, of course, which for today’s camp is three rapidly emerging areas of health care: mobile health, telemedicine and social health.read more
So far in this Walk@Lunch Week we’ve talked about the reasons you should spend your lunch “hour” walking. We’ve talked about the benefits to your body, we’ve talked about the benefits to your sanity. Today, we’ll talk about the benefits to your bottom line. Your wallet/purse/man-bag, that is.read more
OK, it’s settled: This coming week, instead of working through lunch at your desk or going out with the gang for a $4.95 all-you-can-eat-but-not-necessarily-digest buffet, you’re going to observe National Walk@Lunch Week and take a walk. (Technically, it’s National Walk@Lunch Day, but the observance deserves at least a week.)read more