Summer Time Health Tips

Stay cool and avoid the mid -day heat. Limit activities in the hot sun to 15 or 20 minutes at a time to help protect against heat exhaustion. Avoid prolonged sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's UV rays are the strongest. Replace your shoes. Select the proper shoes for an activity and replace them often to prevent foot, ankle and knee pain. Stretch. The more prepared muscles and tendons are for an activity, the more protected you are from getting hurt. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water. Drink plenty of water before, during and after activities. Protect your head. Always remember to wear a helmet while biking, rock climbing, skateboarding, horseback riding or riding an ATV - and make sure children do too. Lather up and wear sunscreen! Be sure to use SPF 30 or higher and reapply it every two hours. Ideally, 1 ounce of sunscreen (about a palmful) should be used to cover the arms, legs, neck and face of the average adult. Exercise for strong bones. Exercise is important for building strong bones and is essential for maintaining bone strength. Weight -bearing exercise and strength -training exercise are two types of exercise that are most effective for building strong bones. Look before you dive. To prevent head, neck and spine injuries, never dive headfirst into unknown bodies of water. Go easy on your joints. Swimming is a great, low -impact exercise for summer and helps to prevent over -heating. Don't let injuries go untreated. If a summertime injury occurs, The Orthopaedic Institute offers same or next -day appointments to help you get back to your summertime fun!