Okay, okay … I know that it isn’t summer yet but I wanted to make sure that I shared some safety tips for those of you who may be soon hitting the trails to complete your runs, bike rides or just to enjoy a nice walk with a friend or four-legged walking buddy.
After the devastating news of some of the abductions last year I thought it was a great idea to host a Self-Defense seminar that was let by Officer Adam Jennings and one of our own martial artists, Damien Mapel, to help us to be safer while we hit the trails during the nicer seasons. Some of you were able to attend that seminar but I thought you would all enjoy an overview of what was discussed since the weather will be getting nicer even as soon as this weekend, yay!
- Always tell someone where you are headed and the route that you will be taking
- Try to either be without earbuds or put your music on a level to where you can be aware of your surroundings
- Change up your route
- Wear protective or reflective clothing at dawn/dusk to be seen by traffic
- Start carrying either a safety whistle or mace with you
Suns Out, Guns Out! What is the deal with sunscreen and does it hinder my vitamin D absorption?
We absorb the most vitamin D through our skin with the rays from the sun – so you can imagine that most of us may be deficient with the wonderful winter we just had. So now that the sunshine is going to be more prevalent, should you really be wearing sunscreen because that may hinder your vitamin D absorption? According to experts, most people don’t apply the recommended amount of a shot glass of sunscreen every 40-80 mins in order to really decrease the amount of vitamin D that is absorbed, so we should be ok protecting our skin from summer rays without it making much of an impact on our vitamin D absorption. If you sunburn easily and/or you use a sunblock you may want to speak to a registered dietician or a physician in order to see if a supplement is necessary, but most of us should be able to get the recommended amount of vitamin D just by spending some time outside.
Why is vitamin D important?
Along with calcium, it helps to keep our bones nice and strong as we age, which helps to decrease the prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis. If you have a family history of either of these conditions you may want to consult with your physician or local dietician to see what you can do to increase your vitamin D if you are required to wear a high SPF sunscreen or a sunblock because you are more susceptible to sunburn. For more information on why vitamin D is important, check out this helpful website.
Is it better to use sunscreen with an SPF higher than 30?
The answer is no. A sunscreen with an SPF of 30 blocks 97% of the UVB rays and anything higher than that doesn’t increase the number of rays protected by very much so if the SPF is 30 and you apply it often then you will be well protected against the cancer-causing UVB. Here is a link to check out if you have any more questions about SPF.
Hopefully, you will feel safer with these tips that Officer Jennings had shared with us, but if you have any other questions or want more tips feel free to contact your local police station. Stay safe this summer, but enjoy every moment of it. Winter will be here again before we know it.
