When enjoying the sun's rays, it’s important to keep your skin safe in the scorching weather. Here are our top tips for staying safe in the sunshine:
Wear sun cream
Sun cream is no doubt one of the most effective ways to stay safe in the sunshine. Whether you’re a factor 20 or a factor 50 kind of skin type, ensure you put a layer of sun cream on before you set foot into the sunshine and take it with you so you can reapply throughout the day. Don’t forget your feet and especially in-between your toes!
Keep your eyes and head protected
Sun can burn the scalp and also hurt your eyes… especially if you look straight into it! Get yourself some worthy sunglasses, you can sometimes get sunglasses that match your glasses prescription. Save yourself from scalp burns with a hat that fits. Floppy summer hats, bucket hats, straw hats… whatever your style, it’ll help to cool you down.
Stay hydrated
Heat can make people very thirsty and feel more dehydrated than usual. It is important that you keep hydrated and drink enough water. If you can carry a bottle of water in a bag with you, try to keep it as cool as possible to improve the taste. A little sip now and then can go a long way. Alcohol and caffeine are well known for dehydrating, so if you must have a tipple in the sun make sure you match it with an iced cold glass of water.
Dress correctly
Everyone should dress for the weather and we’re not referring to short shorts. When it’s warm out, natural fabrics such as cotton are cooler than other materials and can help the feeling of comfort. Loose-fitting and light-coloured clothes can also help you feel cool and comfortable.
Seek the shade
Every now and then it’s a good idea to seek out some shade, whether it’s under a big tree or under a summer umbrella. Too long in the sun can dry up the skin and occasionally cause heatstroke. Having bouts of sunshine with bouts of shade can help to balance energy.
As we get older, it’s also very common to suffer with swollen feet and ankles during the summer months. This is because when we're hot, our veins expand which allows fluid to leak into surrounding skin tissue. The widening of the blood vessels are a natural response to our body’s way of fighting back to keep itself cool.
However, when this happens some veins struggle to pump blood back to your heart and have trouble fighting gravity. This pulls fluid down to feet and ankles where it pools, which can result in swelling and discomfort.
To help alleviate swelling you could try elevating your feet. It’s also important to stay active, drink plenty of water and watch your diet.
Massaging feet and ankles is another good way to get fluid moving and reduce swelling. The best way to do this is by massaging gently, using both hands and working upwards from feet to knees in a circular motion. Or better yet get someone else to massage them for you, as this ensures that you don’t bend your knee and restrict flow.
Don’t let swollen feet and ankles stop you from getting outside and enjoying the warmer weather. Give your feet the gift of comfort with our extra wide fitting shoes for swollen feet.
