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Stay Healthy this Summer

Stay Healthy this Summer!

Summer is the perfect season to enjoy your life and at the same time is an opportunity to maintain a good health. People enjoy the warmer weather and the sun-kissed look of a tan. They are exposed frequently to sunlight that makes them more energized and feel fresh. The sun leads to vitamin D production and thus strengthens the bones, kills bad bacteria and enhances the mood.

However, long-term exposure to sun can lead to sunburns, premature aging of the skin, wrinkles and even skin cancer, including melanoma. To stay healthy while enjoying the sun this summer, here are some do’s and don’ts:

Do’s	Don’ts
Seek the shade between 10 am and 4 pm	Expose newborns directly to sun
Choose a safe sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher for adults, SPF 30 or higher for children)	Forget to apply safe sunscreen on ears, under eyes, the top of hands, feet, behind knees, scalp
Cover the skin with clothes, wear a hat and sunglasses in case of long exposure	Be fooled by a cloudy day- UV can penetrate through clouds
Drink a lot of water/juice	Refer to tanning beds and salons
Moisturize the skin with lotions or creams	Leave your skin dry and irritated
Perform regular self-examinations to see any changes in the skin, if noticed, refer to a physician	Forget to do skin examinations

Second, to maintain a healthy lifestyle in summer, it is highly recommended to be physically active because it has many benefits on different levels. Fitness is associated with an overall better health including:

Strengthening the heart, lungs, muscles and bones
Giving energy and improving the appearance and the mood
Leading to better sleep and ability to handle stress
Preventing heart diseases and heart attacks
Preventing higher blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol
Controlling weights and preventing obesity

Therefore, avoiding unsafe exposure to sunlight and 30 minutes of physical activity per day are enough to make changes and improve health, in addition to a healthy diet.