This may surprise you, but we live in Arizona. And if you knew that, hold on to your seats, because what I’m about to tell you is going to blow your mind. Arizona, is hot. I know, I know, I was surprised, too. And since it’s hot because of the sun constantly beating down upon our necks, we decided to put together a few tips to protect yourself from health issues involving the sun.

1. Stay In The Shade. This one is obvious, I know, but if you stay out of the sun, it’ll lessen your chances of sunburn, skin cancer, and heat exhaustion. Some easy ways to do this is stay inside, don’t stay outside for too long, and if you are outside, make sure you are near shade.
2. Wear Sunscreen. A lot of people disregard sunscreen, saying it’s annoying and smells weird, but what people don’t realize is that it’s the best way to prevent skin damage.  The best ones to use should have at least an SPF of 30, which can protect you from most of the UV rays coming down upon us.

   

3. Sunglasses. Another thing that people like to ignore, but our eyes are important; wearing sunglasses block the UV rays from getting into your eyes and can help prevent forming cataracts later on in your life.

   

4. Water. Water is the base of all life on earth; without water, you’d be a raisin (and probably dead). Don’t try to force yourself to drink a certain amount of water though, that could lead to over-hydration. Just drink whenever you feel thirsty and you should be fine. But sometimes, water isn’t enough, sometimes you also start to lose electrolytes. A good trick to fix that is sports drinks, or a bit of lemon juice and salt in water.
5. Put cold water bottles on your pulse points. This is one many people may not know, but if you put a cold water bottle on one of your pressure points (side of the neck, wrists, inner thigh) it will cool you down quickly.

To keep your skin safe against the UV rays thrown out by the sun by staying in the shade, wearing sunscreen, using sunglasses, and of course, drinking water.  Hopefully these can help you in staying safe as the summer months end and the refreshing, cool fall begins!