Get outside and get moving!

Summer is here, the weather is beautiful. Slather on the sunscreen, pop on a hat, grab a bottle of water and get outside!

Corinne Cutler, Exercise Specialist at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network has provided a list of 25 ways you can increase your outdoor activity. Challenge your family and friends to see how many of these outdoor activities you can complete this summer:

1. Turn off the television and go for a family walk around the neighbourhood.
2. Take the dog for a walk each day.
3. Take a Frisbee and head out to the park for a picnic.
4. Dig into gardening! Plant a garden and get everyone to help out with their own special section.
5. Rake up the leaves and take turns jumping into the pile. 
6. See if the local museum or historical society has a brochure of historical walks in your neighbourhood or town. Go out and explore together.
7. Take the time to explore a local attraction on a road trip. 
8. Run through the sprinkler on a warm day.
9. Take a Frisbee, soccer ball, or baseball along on the road trip.
10. On a windy day, go to an open field and fly a kite. 
11. Make your weekly family social activity, active! Go to the park instead of the cinema. 
12. Plan "walk and talk" outings with your friends and their children. This is a great substitute for going for coffee.
13. Plan an active family vacation. Try hiking, camping, or swimming.
14. Get a bicycle carrier (and helmets for everyone) so the whole family can go for a ride together. 
15. Play catch at a local park.
16. Learn how to hacky sack.
17. Get some chalk and play hopscotch. 
18. Plan a family hike through a scenic park. 
19. Challenge your children to a basketball, volleyball, tennis, or baseball game. They'll love the idea of playing and competing against you. 
20. Explore different leash-free parks, even if you don't have a dog.
21. Go to the neighbourhood playground and help your children to climb and swing. 
22. Go bird watching. See how many birds you can spot.
23. Take a moonlight or flashlight walk in the evening. Go stargazing.
24. When your children are learning to ride a bicycle, put on your running shoes and run along side or hop on your own bike. Support them and teach them proper bicycle safety while running with them around the block. 
25. Allow your children to include friends when planning some physical activities. This will encourage their peers to be active as well.

Reference :  Healthy Alberta

National Sun Awareness Week

June 4-10 marks National Sun Awareness Week

 

After a long winter and all those short daylight hours, we welcome the warm, sunny days of spring and summer.  People of all ages love to be outside enjoying the fresh air doing a variety of activities.

 

The Canadian Cancer Society wants us all to stay healthy when it comes to sun exposure.   The purpose of National Sun Awareness Week is to remind people that we need to be “sun smart” while enjoying the great outdoors. 

 

Here are some sun safety basics:

 

Limit time in the midday sun.

- The sun's rays are strongest between 11am and 4pm.  Whenever possible, limit exposure to the sun during these hours.

When your shadow is shorter than you, look for shade.

- Do outdoor activities under a tree, umbrella, or in the shade of a building.

- Create shade by planting trees or by using partial roofs, awnings, gazebo tents, etc.

Use the UV index each day to plan outdoor activities.

- Consult local radio and TV stations or check on-line for the UV index forecast in your area. When the UV index is 3 or higher, wear protective clothing, sunglasses and  sunscreen.
- Wear tightly-woven, loose-fitting, full-length shirts and pants.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat so that your ears are covered as well.

- Wear sunglasses that provide 100% UVA and UVB protection and ensure they wrap around your face.

- Apply a generous amount of sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) on all exposed areas 20 minutes before you go outside. Ideally, sunscreen should be reapplied 20 minutes after going outdoors so that the product stabilizes on the skin and gives maximum protection. Thereafter, reapply sunscreen every 2 hours (and more often if you are swimming or sweating).

- Do not put sunscreen on babies less than 6 months of age.

 

For more information, visit:

Health Canada 

Canadian Cancer Society