Who’s looking forward to our long 3 day weekend?! I know I am, it’s one of my favorite holidays. Whether you are going to a local park to enjoy some outdoor festivities or to a beach party; most of us have plans that revolve around being outdoors. What’s more American than drinking some beer and barbequing burgers with family and friends? With all of the patriotic excitement in the air it’s easy for us to forget about taking care of ourselves. So here are a few tips to make sure you have a fun and safe weekend!
– Keep it Cool
It’s starting to burn up across the country so try to avoid the sun between the sun’s peak hours of 10am and 4pm. Not only is this the hottest part of the day but it can be the most draining because of the heat. Keep hydrated all day with not only water but sports drinks with electrolytes, so you are able to sustain energy for the entire weekend. Most of us have experienced heat exhaustion, so get a portable hand held fan, stay in the shade as much as possible, and wear light weight clothing to help keep you cool. Here’s an idea: put some ice cubes and cold water in a squirt bottle to frequently spritz yourself throughout the day to ensure you don’t overheat, who knows it may start a fun water fight!
– Don’t Bug Out
There is nothing worse than getting a mosquito bite or having an infestation of ants to ruin a perfectly good picnic outing. Plan ahead and try to avoid confrontations with these tiny vicious creatures by using a personal bug repellent, set up fly traps, and making sure that you keep all food covered! They now have on the market a two-in-one sunscreen and bug spray, make sure to read the fine print! Experts say that many of these types of products you need to be careful about because you can only apply them 2-3 times a day, and as we all know you should reapply your sunscreen much more frequently than that!
– Stay Kissable
There is nothing worse than being with that special someone and when they go in for a kiss and you realize you have flaky lips. Being in the sun for long periods of time can dry your skin out, so do not forget to keep your lips moisturized. Always make sure the lip balm you use has an SPF of 30 or higher and using reapply consistently throughout the day. If you would rather wear a lip gloss or lipstick instead, apply the SPF lip balm before your other makeup products. Drinking plenty of water throughout your day will also prevent chapped lips.
– Burning is not an option
This holiday make sure to lather up with sunscreen before hitting the outdoors. Always put on your sunscreen a minimum of 15 minutes before you start your day in the sun. An easy way to know how much to use, is to think about the size of a shot glass! It only takes one shot glass amount of sunscreen to cover your entire body. Reapply every 2 hours if you’re not in the water, and if you decide to take a dip in the pool reapply every 30 minutes. It’s okay to use the basic sunscreen for your body on your face- however if you are prone to break outs or have sensitive skin make sure to use a physical sunscreen, look for products with zinc or titanium in it to help keep your skin looking flawless.
– And Have Fun!
Have a blast this Independence day and show your patriotism by celebrating outdoors! Enjoy the parades, fireworks and all the other fun summer activities this holiday!
