6 Ways to Take Care of Your Body in Summer

Take care of your body in summer

Your body needs special care during summer. Your habits, that the chilly winds of long winter may have brought, need to be ditched during the summer.

With the long weeks of snow-covered lawns, gone are the days that deterred your hygiene and health considerations.

Here, we’ve presented the 6 essential elements of care that your body demands during summer.

1.  Wear Dry, Fresh, and Clean Clothes

Wash your clothes, especially the underwear frequently. Don’t wear the same underwear for two consecutive days during summer.

If possible, dry your clothes outside under the sun. The solar radiation kills most bacteria that may grow exponentially in a moist and warm climate.

If you are a sweaty person, consider not wearing the same clothes again before washing them. This is to avoid the growth of infection, and to avoid feeling uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

The same practice must be followed with your underwear, especially if you’re prone to developing yeast infections.

Consider wearing loose clean clothes and using good probiotics for vaginal health in summer. Easily avoid such be taking note that yeast infections develop faster in warm and moist areas.

2.  Drink Lots of Water

Water is an essential element for every living being, including us. In summer, water evaporates much faster from our bodies in the form of sweat and we often fail to replenish it.

Dehydration because of too much exposure to the heat is common in this season, and we need to drink a lot of water to make sure that the basic functionalities are left intact.

That includes digestion, absorption, circulation, maintenance of body temperature, and everything that requires the participation of bodily fluids.

When we face a fluid shortage, the brain triggers the thirst mechanism. Unless you are taking medications that trigger it, you should cater to the request and replenish your body with water, juice, or milk. Refrain yourself from having alcohol as a drink though, it will only make you thirstier.

Due to a higher rate of evaporation, your muscles lose a lot of water in the summer. Lack of water in the muscles can cause muscle cramping and spasm during the day.

Moreover, if you lead an active lifestyle, it may worsen the situation. Drink plenty of fluid to avoid that.

You may find yourself constipated during the summer that is induced by dehydration. If our body is dehydrated, our brain signals the excretory system to retain the water reserves to preserve the primary functions.

All these troubles are easily avoidable with a healthy consumption of water everyday.

3.  Stay Safe from Unsafe Food

Food-borne pathogens and diseases flourish during warmer seasons. Food that were safe to consume even after a week in the winter can be hazardous in summer if not stored and refrigerated properly.

Greasy and dairy food, even if refrigerated, can be deemed unsafe due to the lack of preservation in the supply chain.

As viruses don’t grow in foods, your food is contaminated in three ways:

  1. Human feces and sewage
  2. Food handlers
  3. Animal and insect vectors

Mycotoxins are toxins that naturally occur due to molds caused by fungi and are introduced to our diet through contaminated crops.

A higher dosage of mycotoxin is potentially cancerous and cytotoxic. Certain crops, under unfavorable and harsh environments, increase the proliferation of such fungi and mycotoxins. Always buy fresh and eat fresh in summer.

Dairy products are particularly vulnerable during summer. The living conditions of the cattle are highly affected by the warmer climates.

Parasitic diseases, nutritional disorders, and dehydration in animals are enhanced in summer. Thus, dairy products need to be controlled in every step of the supply chain. However, these factors are often overlooked.

Germination can decrease during warmer conditions depending on the species. Farmers during summer are forced to use hormone inducing products to keep up with the supply.

Harmful pesticides are also used to control the raging population of pests during this time. Source your food from organic farms and try to wash the veggies and fruits with warm water during summer.

4.  Use Sunscreen

Sunscreens are lotions or gels that help you protect yourself from the dangerous effects of the sun. Sunscreens are particularly effective in preventing sunburn, wrinkles, skin cancer, and other life-long skin damage.

In most products, UV radiations are absorbed and prevented from reaching deeper layers. Some sunscreens reflect the radiation to keep it from reaching your screen.

Apply sunscreen 15-minutes before you go outside. Allow it to sit on your skin to reach its maximum potential.

Use SPF 15 or higher for an average of 2 hours of usage but if you have a fairer skin, consider using SPF 30 sunscreens. Going over SPF 40 doesn’t provide any additional benefits.

Apply a generous amount of sunscreen on uncovered parts of your body but avoid your mouth and eyes. An ounce of sunscreen, on average, should be adequate. Apply sunscreen every 2 hours to get maximum protection.

Also,  take proper precautions with the product and its application.

  • Keep your sunscreen away from sunlight when storing.
  • Stay cautious when using spray products because they might be inflammable.
  • Don’t smoke right after applying the spray.

5.  Take a Shower Daily

In summer, the increased sweating can cause germs to grow more rapidly. The moist weather and warmer climate promote the growth of bacteria in our bodies. Thus the need for taking frequent showers. Taking frequent showers in summer can:

  • Increase blood flow
  • Reduce muscle pains
  • Lessen fatigue
  • Improve immunity

Bathing daily with antibacterial soap washes away the bacteria that colonize on your skin and removes dead cells. With frequent showers, your skin pores unclog and allow your skin cells to work efficiently.

Due to the increased bacterial activity in summer, you may want to take more frequent showers to meet the social standards of hygiene and cleanliness. By taking daily showers, you smell less and can feel confident in social and work environments.

If you are involved in “dirty works” or corrosive environments, you may want to shower more than the ones who do a desk job.

Your gardening habits may also need you to shower more frequently in the summer due to the increased pathogen activities in certain plants.

6.  Consider Using Deodorants and Perfume

Taking daily showers often isn’t enough to survive the summer heat. Consider using fresh aquatic deodorant in the summer.

Don’t go for anything strong and woody because that can make people around you very uncomfortable. Try fresh fragrances that go well with the hot season.

Don’t apply deodorant on the clothes. The small percentage of perfume that deodorants have are soon evaporated by wearing them on the clothes. Apply the deodorants on your skin on the pulse points like the underarms, neck, and behind your ears.

Layer up the deodorants with a fine-smelling perfume to beat the heat waves. Consider choosing perfumes that complement the deodorant.

Don’t try to pair a strong family of perfume with a fresh deodorant. You must make them complement each other, not compete.

The Bottom Line

The unbearable summer between May to September requires you to drink a lot of water, keep away from unsafe food, and use sunscreens.

Taking daily showers, using fragrances, and wearing clean clothes are also necessary to keep yourself healthy during the summers.

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